Titanic task of containing Henry confronts Bills in home opener
MNF doubleheader kicks off in Buffalo with contest between AFC contenders
Don't venture too far from your widescreen once the first half runs out on Tennessee-at-buffalo on Monday night.
There are two Monday Night Football games this week, with kickoff times carefully chosen by the NFL so that the later game, Minnesota at Philadelphia, ought to kick off at about the time Titans-bills reaches halftime.
Tennessee vs. Buffalo begins exactly one hour earlier than MNF games typically do, at 7:15 p.m. EDT (TSN 1&4 via ESPN), while Minnesota vs. Philadelphia starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT (TSN 3&5 via ABC). Call it an overlapping doubleheader.
Make sure your clicker's batteries are fresh, in the event Bills vs. Titans is a nail-biter, as you may find yourself switching back and forth between the games for a good hour-and-a-half.
Buffalo has lost at Tennessee in each of the previous two seasons — a blowout in 2020, and a cliffhanger last year. This time the game is at Buffalo's Highmark Stadium, and it's the Bills' home opener, on a Monday night to boot. The atmosphere ought to be especially raucous.
Task No. 1 for the Bills is to, if not shut down, then at least contain Tennessee's monster running back, Derrick Henry. Over the last two meetings between these teams he has rushed for exactly 200 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns.
But if any NFL defence keys in too much on stopping him, quarterback Ryan Tannehill can make you pay, even if he doesn't seem as effective in the Titans attack as he was circa 2019-20, when Arthur Smith was offensive coordinator. (Smith now is the Atlanta Falcons' head coach).
“Derrick Henry is a once-in-alifetime back,” Bills head coach Sean Mcdermott said. “It's a tough dynamic, what they have offensively — the ability to run it but also throw it with Tannehill, who's also a very good player. It makes for a tough challenge for any defence.”
Henry's top backup, Dontrell Hilliard, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, so expect to see Henry spelled occasionally instead by rookie Hassan Haskins out of Michigan.
It doesn't help Buffalo's run-stopping cause that starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver is out, after not practising all week due to an injured ankle. And one of his backups, Tim Settle, is questionable. Advantage, Titans.
Offensively, Buffalo counters, of course, with arguably the most dangerous quarterback in the league, Josh Allen, in one of the most prolific and exciting attacks, which didn't seem to miss a beat under new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in Buffalo's authoritative Week 1 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
The Bills got some potentially bad news Saturday, however, when Allen's No. 2 wide receiver, Gabe Davis, was added to the injury list with an ankle injury. He's questionable.
It doesn't help Tennessee's cause that starting cornerback Kristian Fulton is out with a hamstring injury.
As it happens, the Cook brothers are playing in this MNF doubleheader.
First we'll see younger sibling James, who turns 23 next Sunday. He's a rookie backup running back with the Bills.
In the second game we'll see a lot more of older brother Dalvin, 27, the star running back for the Vikings. The Eagles defence had a rough day stopping the run in Philadelphia's Week 1 win over Detroit, allowing 181 yards. Big brother played a pivotal role in Minnesota's 23-7 upset win over Green Bay last week, gaining 90 yards on 20 carries.