Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans : 5 Keys to Victory

by Aditya T (smashville) on Nov 14, 2009 8:00 AM CST in Tennessee Titans Previews

Every Coach's Dream needs to have a good game. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Hmm...let's see...run the ball? This is really the key to winning considering the matchup problem. The Bills allow an NFL worst 173.6 rushing yards on 34 carries per game, while Chris Johnson runs an NFL best 119.9 yards on just 18 carries per game. The Bills actually allow more rush yards per game than the Titans second best run offense run. Buffalo doesn't have a lot of size advantage on the defensive line, so any time CJ gets to the secondary, he should be able to get major gains if not touchdowns.
Protect the QB. It doesn't seem that Vince will have to throw much in this game, but when he does, his offensive line needs to do a good job of protecting him. Buffalo has 17 sacks on the year, but Vince Young has only been sacked once in his two starts. The O-Line needs to continue protecting him. If Vince sees major pressure coming, there's no reason not to use his legs and take off to try to make it a positive play.
Keep playing smart, disciplined football. No matter how you see it, VY has been a good game manager in the last two games. That is what has made him effective in winning games - the limited mistakes. The defense, specifically the secondary, has also been playing disciplined. Besides the broken coverage in the last drive of the first half against the 49ers, there really haven't been many problems after the bye week. Granted, a major part of that is Cortland Finnegan and Vincent Fuller coming back from injury and Rod Hood taking over the starting CB position.
Create pressure. Trent Edwards is the starting quarterback for the Bills, who shouldn't be too much of a problem for the Titans, though he is hard to get down on the ground. The Bills have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. They have allowed 23 sacks this year. In comparison, the Titans have allowed just 6 sacks this year. While the Titans pass rush hasn't been anything to rave about, they should be able to have a favorable matchup against the Bills offensive line.
Continue winning the turnover battle. Some of these points are getting redundant, but they are still major keys to winning the game. After the Titans entered the bye week with a -10 turnover ratio, they are +6 in their last two games after the bye week. The secondary has come together to make plays unlike they did earlier in the year, and pressure has been causing fumbles. If the Titans get the ball off turnovers, momentum immediately rises for them and the chance of winning goes up even further.

Tweet Comment 3 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Excellent list, as always, Smash

but you know I always have to add my number 6: Beware of complacency. Buffalo may look like an easy target, but if we take this game for granted, they do have just enough weapons to pull off an upset if they come out firing and we don’t. Every game is a playoff game from now on, until we either win out or lose one more.

by JimR on Nov 14, 2009 9:53 AM CST via mobile reply actions