Cardinals at Titans
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee TV: CBS
Tipico line: Titans by 2 1⁄2 Titans’ keys to victory: Tennessee had a slight issue with mobile quarterbacks during the preseason and will be challenged right off the bat with Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. The key will be to set the edge and force Murray to stay inside while also not getting beat deep by the Cardinals’ trio of talented receivers. Offensively, the Titans will lead with RB Derrick Henry to set up the play-action but should also be challenging the very suspect Arizona secondary with WRs Julio Jones and A.J. Brown.
Cardinals’ keys to victory: Things got harder for the Cardinals defense after the retirement of CB Malcolm Butler, which will make defending Jones and Brown an even more arduous task. Arizona has to find the right balance of stacking the box and leaving enough help in the secondary while also putting pressure on QB Ryan Tannehill. On offense, the Cardinals need to challenge the revamped Titans secondary with WRs DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and A.J. Green.
Matchup to watch: Titans OLBs vs. Cardinals OTs. If the Titans are going to prevent Murray from running all over the place, OLBs Harold Landry and Bud Dupree must set the edge and keep him inside. Tennessee needs Dupree as a pass rusher after the Titans finished with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL last season.
Who wins? Both teams enter with a suspect defense, although the edge goes to Tennessee’s group, especially after Butler retired. Regardless, until the Titans can prove their unit is fixed, expect a shootout, with the Tennessee’s defense doing just enough.
Titans, 34-31