PLAYER NOTES
–QB Marcus Mariota is still wearing the half glove on his throwing hand to help his grip as he continues to experience tingling and numbness in his ring finger and pinkie. Mariota showed last week that he now can function with the injury, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by leading a winning TD drive in overtime and throwing for 344 yards and two scores.
–QB Blaine Gabbert practiced fully on Wednesday after missing all of last week while being in the concussion protocol. Gabbert needs only to be cleared by the independent physician to leave the protocol and be ready to back up Marcus Mariota this week.
–WR Corey Davis had his best day as a pro last Sunday, catching nine passes – including the game-winner – for 161 yards. He was limited Wednesday due to illness.
–WR Taywan Taylor had his best game as a pro, as the second-year receiver caught seven passes for 77 yards Sunday.
–RB David Fluellen returned to practice for the first time in two weeks. Fluellen suffered a groin injury against the Texans in Week 2.
–T Dennis Kelly is still not able to practice, and worse yet, doctors are still running tests trying to figure out what type of illness he has. Kelly lost some weight but has since put some of it back on.
–S Kenny Vaccaro will miss some time due to a dislocated right elbow suffered against the Eagles.
–LB Wesley Woodyard missed practice on Wednesday due to a shoulder injury suffered Sunday vs Philadelphia.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Derrick Henry. By his own admission, Henry has been slow out of the gate this season. He has just 163 yards rushing through four games and is averaging only 3.0 yards per carry. Henry had just eight carries for 24 yards Sunday vs. the Eagles. But this week against Buffalo might be more suited to his skill set if the Titans want to try and pound away at the Bills’ front.
GAME PLAN: The Titans showed major signs of life offensively in their win over the Eagles, particularly throwing the football against the aggressive Philadelphia cornerbacks, who were at times left in single coverage and at the mercy of Marcus Mariota if the pass rush didn’t push him off his spot.
That versatility should allow Tennessee to be more balanced this week against the Bills, who despite not having a good record, are decent against both the run and the pass. It might even be time to crank up Derrick Henry to see if he can get going early to help provide some balance on offense.
Defensively, look for the Titans to put the heat on rookie quarterback Josh Allen by making him make quick decisions. However, the Titans will need to contain Allen well enough not to allow him to hurt them by making big plays on scrambles or off-schedule throws. Coordinator Dean Pees will probably blitz a lot, but the Titans might also employ a spy on Allen to keep him around the pocket. Also, the Titans will want to keep LeSean McCoy in check and put the Bills’ fortunes in Allen’s hands.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Titans OL vs. Bills DL. The Bills might be near the bottom of the league in a lot of areas, but they have a solid front four that features tackles Star Lotulelei and Kyle Williams as well as defensive end Jerry Hughes, along with Trent Murphy. The Titans finally have their offensive line intact with the return of right tackle Jack Conklin from ACL surgery in January. The Titans offensive line has pass protected well, but has been inconsistent opening holes in the run game.
–Titans CB Malcolm Butler vs. Bills WR Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin has been a bit of a disappointment for the Bills thus far. Butler has given up some big plays, getting beat over the top in his first season with the Titans. But Butler is also known to gamble and make big plays, which he might be able to do against rookie quarterback Josh Allen.
