London Calling for Mike Vrabel and Tennessee

The Titans are making the trek over to London this week for a showdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The last of this year’s NFL London Games sees the Titans (2-3) ‘hosting’ the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Having been inconsistent so far this year, the Titans are looking to put aside pressure both on the field and in the locker room as they face a Baltimore side who stumbled last week. For Tennessee, a losing effort against division rivals the Indianapolis Colts last weekend sees Coach Mike Vrabel needing to figure out and secure a much-needed win at a pivotal time in their season.

A Trans-Atlantic test

Tennessee’s two victories this season have been in home games and, technically, they’re the home side this coming Sunday. In spite of the home advantage (if any), international games carry their own risks. Not least, the travel and jetlag involved.

In last week’s London Series game, the Buffalo Bills were noticeably enervated against the Jaguars, having flown over on the Friday morning. Jacksonville will certainly have benefitted from being over significantly longer, given their Wembley encounter versus the Falcons the week before.

Like the Titans, the Ravens are coming off a loss on the road to a divisional rival and having flown out on Monday this week will have had longer to acclimatise themselves and overcome jetlag. The Titans began their journey across the Atlantic following their practice on Thursday afternoon. In the event they start sluggish on Sunday, this decision to delay travel will undoubtedly be called into question more than it has been already.

On a parallel note about the location, the Bills also complained of a ‘terrible’ turf at Tottenham and it’ll be noteworthy if this is mentioned by either side post-game this week.

Stopping Lamar Jackson

The Ravens blew a 10-0 lead on the road to the Steelers last week, eventually losing 17-10 (14 of those points were put on the board in the final quarter). In a likely tight AFC North this season, they’ll need to ensure this doesn’t happen again and they will be more focused against Tennessee, with whom a rivalry has deepened over the years.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is talented enough to not only bounce back but has the ability to do so in commanding style, providing both concern and a test for a suffering Titans defense. After a 5-drop game at Pittsburgh, the Ravens will be looking to ensure there is no repeat this week. Rookie WR Zay Flowers will need to be shutdown effectively, but attention too will also be needed for Odell Beckham Jr, who arguably needs to step up after a lukewarm season so far, much like Rashod Bateman.

Mark Andrews is one of the best Tight Ends in the league, with three touchdowns this season, just one behind Lamar Jackson himself, whose pace and agility has seen him total 4 rushing touchdowns with an average of 53 yards per game. This dual threat of Jackson and the Ravens being able to run the ball so well will be a challenge for Tennessee (70% of their total touchdowns this season have been on the ground).

Making drives count

On offense, the Titans have looked better lately but work is still required. QB Ryan Tannehill has enjoyed some better protection the last few weeks, offering a little more mobility too. The main issue for the Titans has been failing to finish drives, a stark contrast from previous red zone success rates. Similarly, Tannehill has just two passing touchdowns this campaign, and a failure to add to that tally this weekend will ensure continued debate around starting Malik Willis or Will Levis in his place.

The fanbase remains divided about who his successor will be when the time comes (he is entering his final contract year in Tennessee and is 11 years older than both backups), but so long as Tannehill stays healthy, Mike Vrabel may be disinclined to make such a change until a play-off place slips away from them.

Expect Tannehill to continue targeting DeAndre Hopkins, as their chemistry and partnership continues to mature. Behind DHop, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is Tennessee’s best Wide Receiver and they will be without Treylon Burks again, who misses the trip due to his knee injury.

Chris Moore has just four receptions this season but can get downfield for big plays. Meanwhile, TE Chigoziem Okonkwo hasn’t yet had a game that positions him as the widely tipped breakout star he was anticipated to be this year.

At Running Back, Derrick Henry is currently sitting on 328 rushing yards this season, recently clocking over 10,000 scrimmage yards in his career. Expect all manner of ‘King’ puns if we have a classic Henry game in the UK this weekend, who Tennessee will look to in this game more than ever. It won’t be easy though as the Ravens currently have one of the best defenses in the league and are yet to allow a rushing touchdown.

Tennessee’s auxiliary (and now less secret) weapon Tyjae Spears continues to develop though, both complementing and sharing Henry’s workload. He could be a difference maker in London.

Breathing room

Things are adjusting at speed in the AFC South – although Anthony Richardson is injured, the Colts look a serious force even with their back-up QB; CJ Stroud is demonstrating why the Texans took him second in the draft and the Jaguars are reaffirming that their division championship in 2022 wasn’t solely because the Titans faltered in the second half of the year.

It may be timely then that the Titans enter an early bye week after this fixture. As early as it may be in the season, it could provide precious reflection time and offer a period to retune before welcoming the Atlanta Falcons to Nashville in Week 8. Whilst Mike Vrabel is well-liked and respected, he, like all head coaches, will have his strategies dissected and decisions cross-examined further if things continue to stall.

Regardless how Sunday plays out, questions and conjecture will dominate the bye week. A loss will only conflate frustration and calls for changes, whilst a win, which would placate some fears, may be short-lived given the uneven results so far this season.