The Tennessee Titans are looking to be a playoff contender this season. The Oakland Raiders are eyeing bigger things. Coming off their best season in 14 years, the Raiders were Super Bowl hopefuls until Derek Carr busted his leg near the end of last season. Without their leader the Raiders stumbled into and out of the playoffs without much of a fight. The Titans lost Marcus Mariota at the end of last season and the two quarterbacks are back to lead their respective teams in this Week 1 opener.
Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from Nissan Stadium will be televised on CBS.
NFL Week 1 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oakland Raiders -1.5
Tennessee Titans +1.5
Over/Under 51.5
DeMarco Murray & Derrick Henry vs. Raiders Run Defense
The Titans did plenty right last season, but what they did the best was run the football behind the two-headed monster of Murray and Henry. It helped that the offensive line was one of the better units in the league behind bookend tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin. The two were devastating in the run game, paving the way for Murray to lead the AFC with 1,287 yards.
Henry, the former Heisman Trophy winner, did a masterful job when he got the chance to play. He added 490 yards and his 4.5 yards per carry average was slightly better than that of Murray, who ran at 4.4 yards per tote. Tennessee’s offense did exactly what Mike Mularkey wanted it to do last season. The Titans churned out the yards on the ground by controlling the line of scrimmage and took the ball out of their opponent’s hands.
Oakland had its struggles defensively last season and the run defense was a concern for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. The Raiders allowed over 117 yards per game to rank 23rd. John Pagano was added as a defensive coach to try and help get the numbers in line.
Khalil Mack vs. Taylor Lewan
Mack is one of the most disruptive players in the game and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year last season after recording 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Even with Mack’s impressive season the Raiders defense was a black hole most of the year. The group ranked 26th in total defense and gave up a league-worst 6.1 yards per play. When Mack is contained teams can usually pick the Raiders apart. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case for the Titans last season.
Lewan kept Mack in check when the teams met in Week 3 last season, keeping him out of the backfield and off the stat sheet. Mack did record two tackles, but that was it. Lewan has developed into one of the better tackles in the game and his showing against Mack was a big reason. With little help from Mack the Raiders were able to force three turnovers in a 17-10 win in Nashville.
Derek Carr vs. Titans Secondary
Carr was in the thick of the MVP discussion before having his season end with a broken leg in the next to last game of the regular season. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards and had 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions. His importance to the team was felt in the season finale when, with the division title at stake, the Raiders managed just six points in a loss to the Broncos.
Things weren’t much better in the Wild Card playoff game. With Connor Cook starting the Raiders were handed a 27-14 loss and all the work from a 12-win season was for naught. Carr is determined to take the Raiders farther in the postseason this year and he has the tools. With Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Seth Roberts, he has his top three receivers back. The trio combined for 210 receptions, 2,553 yards and 18 touchdowns a season ago.
The Titans struggled in pass defense last season allowing 269 yards per game to rank 30th and as a result the secondary was overhauled. Logan Ryan comes over from New England to start at one corner spot and will likely play opposite Adoree’ Jackson, though that spot is up for grabs. The group needs to be better if the Titans are to compete for a playoff spot and they’ll get tested early by the pass-happy Raiders.
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