Titans eager to start streaking, Bills get Josh Allen back
NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) >> The Tennessee Titans have been searching for consistency for far too long, and they believe three of the next four games at home is a chance to put together a winning streak.
“We really need to get on a run,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “There’s a whole lot of teams in the NFL that’s 3-1, 2-2, 1-3 or whatever. But we have to be that team that breaks out of the pack. I think if we can try to get on a run here, I think we’ll put ourselves in great shape for the postseason.”
The Titans (2-2) can start their first winning streak of the season Sunday when they host the Buffalo Bills (3-1), who announced Saturday that Josh Allen cleared the concussion protocol and is expected to play.
Allen was hurt following a helmet-to-helmet hit early in the fourth quarter of a 16-10 loss to New England last weekend. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday before practicing fully on Friday, when Buffalo listed his playing status as questionable. He has rallied the Bills from deficits in each of their three victories this season.
“Josh is a competitor,” Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “Like sometimes Josh is Josh. And of course, we all say, ‘Josh, just get down, da, da, da, da, just get down.’ But Josh is one of those dudes that fights for every inch.”
The Titans are coming off a 2410 win in Atlanta, and they also
get three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan back. This is a rematch of a 13-12 loss to the Bills in Buffalo last year and certainly didn’t help as the Titans lost a playoff berth in their regular-season finale.
Some things to watch in a series where the past three games were decided by a single point:
DEFENSIVE SHOWDOWN
The Titans are fourth in the NFL giving up just 15.5 points a game, while the Bills rank fifth allowing 15.8 points a game. Neither defense has allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points in a game this season, making them two of only five NFL teams to be so stingy.
For the Titans, this is the longest streak since 2008 for a defense that returned nine of 11 starters from 2018. Buffalo has 10 of 11 starters back from the defense that allowed the fewest yards in the NFL last year, and the Bills haven’t allowed a completion of 50 yards or longer in 31 games.