The Titans enter the contest this week at home after firing their head Coach Brian Callahan. In his place, they elevated Sr. Offensive Assistant Mike McCoy as the Interim Head Coach. McCoy immediately fired well-respected Offensive Line coach Bill Callahan, the father of Brian.No one denies that McCoy was brought in this year to help groom rookie QB Cam Ward but also as insurance should the need arise to get rid of Callahan. McCoy was the QB Coach for Jacksonville last season. His resume includes stints as a player in NFL Europe and one year on an actual NFL roster. In 2000, he began his coaching career with the Carolina Panthers and steadily rose through the ranks to become QB Coach and Passing Game Coordinator in 2008. He moved on to Denver to become Offensive Coordinator (2009-2012).San Diego (now LA) Chargers hired him as Head Coach (2013-2016). Denver (2017) and Arizona (2018) had him as the Offensive Coordinator before he went to Jacksonville as QB Coach (2022-2024). Tennessee is hoping to get a bump from replacing the Head Coach. Since 2022, Interim Head Coaches are 3-6 in their 1st game. Darren Rizzi (Saints), Antonio Pierce (Raiders), and Jeff Saturday (Colts) all won their first games as interim head coaches. Recently, the interim bump hasn’t been as significant. But teams that fire their head coach in-season, occasionally win in this spot, making it a trend worth highlighting. Bringing on McCoy was no impulse move, this was calculated because the surging Patriots and former Head Coach Mike Vrabel are coming to town. They hired McCoy for just this situation as Head Coach in-waiting.This is an important game not only for Mike Vrabel, but also for his coaches and players who were all part of his teams in Tennessee. The Patriots players also know how important this is to Vrabel and want to win this game for their Head Coach, whom they adore. Vrabel, in a classy press conference, played the game down, calling his return to Tennessee “interesting but not important”.Offense 3 WR, 1 TE
Starter
2nd
3rd
4th
QB
Cam Ward
Brandon Allen
Will Levis IR
–
RB
Tony Pollard
Tyjae Spears
Julius Chestnut
Kalel Mullings IR
WR
Calvin Ridley Q
Chimere Dike
WR
Elic Ayomanor
Tyler Lockett
WR
Van Jefferson Q
Bryce Oliver Q
–
–
TE
Chig Okonkwo
Gunnar Helm
David Martin-Robinson
Thomas Odukoya
LT
Dan Moore
Olisaemeka Udoh
–
–
LG
Peter Skoronski
Blake Hance Q
–
C
Lloyd Cushenberry
Jackson Slater
Corey Levin
RG
Kevin Zeitler
Blake Hance Q
–
R
JC Latham
Olisaemeka Udoh
–
The Titans’ Offense is the worst in the league. Their offense ranks last in DVOA and only averages 13.8 points per game (31st in the NFL). They are last in Yards Per Game 232.6/G, Yards Passing per Game (31st), and Rushing Yards per Game (31st) 81.8. Their Offensive line has given up the Most Sacks in the League (25), and they are 2nd worst in QB Pressure rate. They are 25th in Red Zone Efficiency (45.5%). On 3rd Down they are the worst in the league at 28.8%.Cam Ward has only thrown 3 TDs in 6 games. He is ranked as the worst QB in the league with a 24.9 QB Rating from ESPN. That is ranked 33rd, meaning that he is not worthy of being an NFL starting QB. In comparison, Drake Maye is ranked 7th with a 72.3 rating. The rookie is struggling and tends to hold onto the ball too long, a typical rookie mistake. CBS Sports is a little kinder to Ward, as he is ranked 31st. They went on to say, “Ward has earned points for his raw transparency about the dire state of the Titans, who just axed coach Brian Callahan. What he’s yet to do with any degree of consistency is translate his gifted arm into steadily sensible decision-making”. Brandon Allen is the backup with Will Levis still on IR. I don’t know how this guy has been in the league this long, as he stands just under 6’2”, 209-pounds, and was drafted in 2016 by Jacksonville out of Arkansas. For his college career, he threw for just over 1,000 yards. In his 9-year career, he played for 5 other NFL teams before signing with Tennessee this year.
Titans RB Tony Pollard. (PHOTO: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
Tony Pollard came over to Tennessee after playing well for 5-years in Dallas. He signed with the Titans two days after they lost RB Derrick Henry in Free Agency. Pollard stands 6”, 209-pounds and runs an average 4.52, 40-yard dash. He was drafted out of Memphis in 2019 in the 4th Round (128). He has 3 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and in 2023 in Dallas had 55 receptions out of the backfield. So far this year he is averaging only 3.8 yards per carry and has no 100-yard games.His backup is Tyjae Spears, who was drafted by TEN in the 2023 draft in the 3rd Round (81) out of Tulane. Spears opened the season on IR and came back two weeks ago from a High Ankle Sprain. In the two games he played, he has just 9 carries but a healthy 5.0 Yards Per Carry. Julius Chestnut from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, signed with Tennessee as an Undrafted Free Agent in 2022. The 5’11”, 228-pound big back has run 6 times for 31-yards in 5 games this year. He is no real threat but an interesting local story.The Wide Receivers have been hit with numerous injuries, especially to Calvin Ridley, whom Tennessee was depending upon. Ridley has an injured Hamstring and Did Not Practice (DNP). He injured the hamstring in the last game versus the Raiders and is not expected to play against the Patriots.Van Jefferson, a 2020 2nd Round (57) selection by LA Rams. The Ole Miss and Florida product stands at 6’, 200 pounds. Jefferson’s best season was in 2021 with 50 catches for 802 yards,16.0 YPC, and 6 TDs. He hasn’t come close to that since. Last week he played 74% of the snaps in Ridley’s absence and was targeted 5 times with 4 catches for 75 yards.Elic Ayomanor, the 6’2”, 206-pound Canadian WR, played at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and then at Stanford. The promising receiver possesses 4.44 speed and has 17 receptions on 34 targets and 2 TDs. Tyler Lockett may be up there in age, but he can still play well as a possession receiver. The 5’10”, 182-pound WR was selected 1st team All-Pro in 2015 and 2nd Team All-Pro twice. Steve Largent holds all the Seattle Seahawks receiving records but Lockett is second. The 33-year-old, 10-year vet was drafted in 2015 by Seattle in the 34d Round (69) out of Kansas State. On the season, he has 8 receptions on 19 targets.Chimere Dike is a 6’1”, 196-pound WR out of Florida. The rookie was drafted in 4th Round (103) by the Titans. So far this season he has 9 catches on 19 targets. He could see increasing play time in Ridleys absence. Dike is blazing fast, running a 4.34 40 at the Combine. He also excels on Kickoff and Punt returns.Chig Okonkwo, the 6’3” 238-pound TE is more receiver than blocker. The 2022 4th round (143) pick out of Maryland by Tennessee has yet to reach his potential, For the season he has 23 receptions on 30 targets for 218 yards and 0 TDs. He is a very reliable receiver and with the Patriots known issues covering TEs, he could have a big day. Gunnar Helm, the 6’5”, 241-pound TE out of Texas was a 4th Round (140) selection by Tennessee in this year’s draft. In this year’s draft class of TEs, Helm had the highest completion % when thrown to. He has caught 13 passes on 16 targets for 113 yards and 0 TDs.Left Tackle Dan Moore signed an absolutely ridiculous Free Agency contract with the Titans.
4-year deal: $82 million total
$25.5 million signing bonus
$50 million guaranteed
Average annual salary: $20.5 million
Base salary for 2025: $3.99 million
Signing bonus for 2025: $25.5 million
Workout bonus for 2025: $8,505,000
Cap hit for 2025: $10,883,505
This is from the player who gave up the most sacks in the league (12) last year. The 6’5”, 315-pound Tackle was a 2021 4th Round (129) selection of Pittsburgh. His PFF grade is 65.8 114th in the league. He has given up 4 Sacks, 4 QB Hits, 10 Hurries and 18 Pressures. Those are not the numbers the Titans are paying for. K’Lavon Chaisson should have a field day against this guy.Left Guard is Peter Skoronski, the 6’6” 313-pound former Left Tackle, but Tennessee quickly realized that he couldn’t play Left Tackle. The 2023 1st Round Pick (11) out of Northwestern was a bust at Left Tackle. The Titans were forced to move him inside to Left Guard. As a Guard he has played well with a 73.5 grade which is 7th best in the league. For the season he has given up 1 Sacks, 1 QB Hits, 7 Hurries and 9 Pressures.Lloyd Cushenberry is the Center. Entering his 6th season, the 27-year-old 6’4”, 315-pound Center played at LSU and was drafted by Denver in the 2020 draft 3rd round (83). His PFF Grade is 59.6 good for 23rd. So far this season, he has given up 2 Sacks, 3 QB Hits, 6 Hurries, and 11 Pressures.Kevin Zeitler is the veteran on the line at Right Guard. The 35-year-old, 13-year veteran stands 6’4”, 340-pounds. He has played for 5 NFL team before the Titans this year. In 2012 he was drafted in the 1st Round (27) by Cincinnati. His PFF Grade is 69.5 good for 18th. On the season his blocking is 2 sacks, 1 QB Hit, 3 Hurries and 5 Pressures. At Right Tackle they have JC Latham, their 1st Round selection (7) out of Alabama. Latham The 6’6” 335-pound Tackle actually had a good year last season as a rookie. He was one of 4 rookie O-linemen that had what I would consider a plus year. His PFF grade is 54.6 which is 77th. He has given up 4 Sacks, 1 QB Hit, 2 Hurries and 7 Pressures in just 2 games. If Harold Landry can play (DNP IN Wed Practice) he could also have a huge impact. Blake Hance, the primary backup is listed as Questionable but did not appear on the Titans Official Injury Report.Defense 3-4
Starter
2nd
3rd
4th
LDE
Sebastian Joseph-Day
James Lynch Q
–
–
NT
Shy Tuttle
T’Vondre Sweat Q
RDE
Jeffery Simmons
C.J. Ravenell
–
WLB
Dre’Mont Jones Q
Jihad Ward
–
–
LILB
Cody Barton
Dorian Mausi
–
RILB
Cedric Gray
James Williams
Anfernee Orji IR
–
SLB
Arden Key Q
Jaylen Harrell
Ali Gaye
Oluwafemi Oladejo IR
LCB
L’Jarius Sneed Q
Marcus Harris Q
–
–
SS
Amani Hooker
Quandre Diggs
Mike Brown IR
–
FS
Xavier Woods
Kevin Winston
Kendell Brooks
RCB
Jalyn Armour-Davis
Darrell Baker
NB
Roger McCreary
Samuel Womack
The Left DE Sebastian Joseph-Day is a below-average DT in a 3-4 defense. The 6’4”, 310 DT was selected in the 2018 Draft 6th Round (185) by LA Rams. His PFF Grade is 66.0, 56th amongst D-lineman. So far this season he has 21 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 2 QB Hit and 5 Hurries. Shy Tuttle has played Nose Tackle in the absence of T’Vondre Sweat. Tuttle has played just 95 snaps in the 5 games. His PFF Grade is 54.5 (123). For the season he has 8 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, and 0 Hurries. Sweat had a 76.0 PFF Grade last season as a rookie. The 6’4”, 362-pound DT played at the University of Texas and was selected in 2nd Round (38) by Tennessee. He is listed as Limited as his 21-day workout period begins. He has not been technically removed from IR. Sweat stated that he is day-to-day and hopes to be back sooner than later. A player of his size may have trouble recovering from a High Ankle Sprain, especially at 362-pounds. In his one game he had a PFF Grade of 49.5 with 2 Tackles,0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, 0 Hurries in 29 Snaps before the injury.Jeffrey Simmons is a game changer at RDE. I would expect that Mike Vrabel will contact the Titans about trading for Simmons after this game. My understanding is that Simmons and Vrabel are close and if Simmons asked for a trade to New England the Titans would probably grant his request to play for a contender. I was shocked that Simmons is just 28 years old. He was drafted in the 2019 draft 1st Round (18) Tennessee. The 6’4” 305-pound DT is a 2x Second Team All-Pro and 3x Pro Bowl selection. He is just a plain old disruptor. His PFF Grade is 85.3 good for a true rank of 7th amongst DL. For the season he has 28 Tackles, 4.5 Sacks, 1 QB Hit and 9 Hurries. Backup James Lynch DNP in practice on Wednesday but was upgraded to Limited Practice on Thursday. He is listed as Questionable for Sunday. Arden Key was one of the players that was DNP at Wednesday and Thursday’s practices and is listed as Questionable.The WLB is Dre’Mont Jones, a big 6’3”, 282-pound Linebacker. He is also very slow, running a 5.12 40 at the combine. His PFF Grade is 66 good for 67th amongst Edge players. Jones didn’t practice on Thursday so watch what happens with him before Sunday. Cody Barton plays the LILB position. The Utah product stands 6’2”, 237-pounds and was selected in the 2019 Draft 3rd Round (88) by Seattle. His PFF Grade is a low 51.3 which is 111 amongst LBs. For the season he has 38 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 0 QB Hits and 1 Hurry. Cedric Gray leads the team with 60 Tackles. The 6’2”, 240-pound LB from North Carolina was selected in the 4th Round (106) of the 2024 Draft by Tennessee. His PFF Grade is an outstanding 84.9 which is a true ranking of 7th. Gray is a player the Patriots will have to account for. I really liked Edge Oluwafemi Oladejo coming out of UCLA this past Draft. The 6’3” 259-pound defender had been switched to DE in 2024 and came up with 13 TFL and 4.5 sacks. He shined at the Senior Bowl which is why he was drafted so high by Tennessee in the 2nd Round (52). Unfortunately, he was placed on IR this week by the Titans. He had 13 Tackles as the primary backup. The Titans have already lost Anfernee Orji to the IR.The Titans’ secondary has been one of the bright spots, as they give up just 209.7 Passing Yards per game. However, in their two home games versus the Rams and Matthew Stafford, they gave up 298 yards, and against Daniel Jones and the Colts, he completed passes for 228 yards. L’Jarius Sneed leads the team at LCB. The 6’1” 198-pound DB played for the KC Chiefs and has two Super Bowls rings. On the season, he has 24 tackles and 3 PBUs. In the 2020 Draft, the Louisiana Tech product was selected by KC in the 4th round (138). The Titans acquired Sneed in a trade last season with the Chiefs. His PFF grade is 53.7 good for 122nd. He was listed as DNP on Wednesday’s Injury Report and upgraded to Limited Practice on Thursday. If he can’t go on Sunday, that will be a big hit to the Titans’ Pass Defense.Amani Hooker is the Free Safety. The Iowa product stands 5’11”, 210-pounds. He was selected in the 2019 Draft by Tennessee in the 4th Round (116). For the season he has 30 Tackles and his PFF Grade is 44.5 for 128th amongst all safeties. Xavier Woods is having a good season at Strong Safety. The 5’11”, 200-pound Safety played at Louisiana Tech and was taken in the 2017 Draft 6th Round (191) by Dallas. On the season he has 26 Tackles, 1 INT, and 2 PBUs.Jalyn Armour-Davis played for Alabama. The 6’1”, 197-pound CB was drafted in the 2022 Draft 4th Round (119) by Baltimore. His PFF grade is 54.6 good for 116th. For the season he has 16 Tackles and 1 PBU. Roger McCreary is a very good Nickel Back. It should be a good matchup between McCreary and the Patriots Stephon Diggs and Pop Douglas. The 5’11” 190-pound DB played at Auburn and was a 2022 Draft 2nd Round (35) pick by the Titans. His PFF Grade is an outstanding 70.8 good for 30th amongst CBs. He has 24 Tackles, 1 INT and 2 PBUs. The Titans do not use Single High Safety much. Last year they used three deep safety Defense 53.8 % of the time against Drake Maye. I think they will want to take the big play away from Drake Maye. This means they will try and stop the Patriots run game with just their front 7.
Starter
2nd
3rd
Joey Slye Q
–
–
Johnny Hekker
Johnny Hekker
–
–
Chimere Dike
Tyler Lockett
–
Chimere Dike
Bryce Oliver Q
Julius Chestnut
Morgan Cox
Kicker Joey Slye is listed as Questionable and has been listed as a Limited Practice in the Wednesday and Thursday Injury Reports. He is currently 6th in FG made with 13 but he has missed 4 FG Attempts. Johnny Hekker is 14th in the league amongst Punters with a 42.0 Net Yard Average. Chimere Dike is a dangerous return man. He is ranked 17th on Kickoff Returns and would be 7th on Punt Returns if he had enough returns to qualify. Keeping the ball away from him is the best strategy. The Titans need a big game from their Special Teams if they want to upset the Patriots.
Like this article?Support Mark and buy him a coffee.
About Mark MorseMerrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.View all posts by Mark Morse
18 minutes ago1 day ago2 days ago3 days ago3 days agoVIEW MORE PATRIOTS HEADLINES