Titans vs. Lions: Reasons For Confidence And Concern

Well, last week's game was an absolute nightmare. That being said, the past 2 years, the Titans won the season opener convincingly, and we all know what followed. So, maybe there is still some hope. Today, we will move on to the next matchup:

Reasons For Confidence: Delanie Walker, Lions' Defensive Front

Delanie Walker: Last week,  it was no surprise that Delanie Walker was a non-factor. The Vikings' defense is perfectly suited to take him away with Harrison Smith and their linebackers. By taking Walker away, the biggest threat on the offense was gone, and it was a significant hit. This week, Walker has a much better matchup. The Lions gave up the most touchdowns to tight ends in the league last year. Also, that continued with both Dwayne Allen and Jack Doyle having big days. Walker should be much more of a factor this week, and the offense should look better because of it.

Lions' Defensive Front: The Lions' defensive front is not weak, but it is certainly not as powerful as Minnesota's. The Vikings' entire front seven gave the Titans a lot of trouble, and put some serious pressure on Marcus Mariota, especially as things began to fall apart. This week, Mariota should be able to have more time in the pocket, which should really help the passing game and the offense as a whole.

Reasons For Concern: Pass Rush, Spread Out Offense, Defensive Backs

Pass Rush: The Titans had absolutely no pass rush last week, and that was against a middle of the road offensive line that they were facing. Now, they are going to be minus Derrick Morgan. If Matt Stafford has all day in the pocket again like he did last week, the Titans will not be able to stop this offense. While last week it seemed like the lack of a pass rush may have been due to the fact that the Titans were all in on stopping Adrian Peterson, it was still concerning to not see anything that even resembled an effective pass rush. Hopefully this week, we will see more schemed pressure from Dick Lebeau.

Spread Out Offense: The Lions offense is very diverse. Unlike the old days when the key was Calvin Johnson and you had to go all in on stopping him, the new Lions are much more spread out now. Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Eric Ebron, Ameer Abdullah, and Theo Riddick are all serious threats on the offense that all have their own different and unique skills. It's a very spread out and dangerous offense that the Titans could have some serious trouble defending.

Defensive Backs: To match the previous reason for concern, it will be tough for the Titans' defensive backs to keep track of everybody. Last week, Adam Thielen torched the Titans. He would not even be a starter in Detroit, with their potent wide receiver corps. If the Titans secondary gets torched like they did last week, and like Indianapolis' did last week, then it could be a long day.

Prediction: The Titans will look better on offense, but I am not sure that the defense will be hold up against this potent offense. The Lions looked fantastic on offense last week, and if you go back to last year, they are one of the hotter teams in the league since Jim Bob Cooter took over. I do not think the Titans will be able to keep up. Lions win, 34-20.