FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
TENNESSEE TITANS
–OUT: RB David Fluellen (knee), LB Brian Orakpo (elbow), TE Cole Wick (shoulder)
NEW YORK GIANTS
–OUT: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (quadriceps)
PLAYER NOTES
–T Austin Pasztor was signed off the street to take Jack Conklin’s place on the Titans 53-man roster and to provide additional depth on the offensive line.
–T Dennis Kelly was out of practice on Wednesday due to a family matter. He was scheduled to return to practice on Thursday and will start against the Giants on Sunday.
–T Jack Conklin’s season is over after he reinjured the left knee he had ACL surgery on in January. Conklin missed the first three games of the year recovering and rehabbing from the surgery and will now miss the last three games.
–TE Jonnu Smith’s season is over as well, after he suffered an MCL injury in Thursday’s win over Jacksonville. Smith was hurt on Derrick Henry’s 99-yard touchdown run.
–TE Cole Wick was signed to the 53-man roster on Tuesday as they plucked him off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.
–RB Derrick Henry was the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his franchise-record 238 yards with four touchdowns against the Jaguars. Henry had only the second 99-yard run in NFL history as part of his performance.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Derrick Henry catapulted himself into the spotlight with his record-setting game last Thursday night against Jacksonville. Now, the Titans need Henry to help carry the load the rest of the way and take some of the pressure off Marcus Mariota and the offense. While no one expects another 200-plus yard performance, if Henry can consistently give the Titans 15 to 20 carries of effective running, it can give the offense some needed balance.
GAME PLAN: The Titans need to make stopping a suddenly potent Giants offense their top priority. That means slowing down likely Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley, who is explosive both as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York pass attack are potent as well. The Titans need their pass rush to be creative and apply pressure to Eli Manning to make him uncomfortable in the pocket and force him into mistakes.
Offensively, the Titans must not be on the negative side of the turnover battle. That means Marcus Mariota protecting the football, and the Titans using the running game effectively to stay in manageable down and distance situations.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Titans LB Wesley Woodyard vs. Giants RB Saquon Barkley. The Giants offense runs through Barkley now, and despite weapons in the passing game, if the Titans and Woodyard can keep Barkley contained the way they did against Ezekiel Elliott a few weeks ago, they can derail a New York offense that has been putting up 30 points a game of late in winning four of their last five.
–Titans QB Marcus Mariota vs. Giants S Curtis Riley. Riley is a former Titan who is now a starting safety for the Giants. Mariota should know him well and vice versa. It will be up to Mariota to not make crucial mistakes with an interception in what could be a windy MetLife Stadium. The Titans will likely need Mariota to contribute with his legs as well as his arm to keep the chains moving and drives alive.
