Sunday October 20, 1 p.m. ET Repeat: SUNDAY, 1 p.m. ET! Yippee!
Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Weather: 70 and sunshine and peak foliage as well…as good as it gets in October in WNY.
The upper deck view will be spectacular.
Latest line: Bills-9.5, over/under 41.
After finding a way to win Monday night and solving the Bills biggest problem with the acquisition of Amari Cooper, the BillsMafia stress meter is back at comfortable levels. Cooper is 3 years younger than James Lofton was when the Bills acquired him before going on their Super Bowl run. We will probably get a little taste this week. His 2023 17.4 yards per catch hasn’t been seen in these parts in quite a while. The Vrabel-less and Henry-less Titans have the chore this week of visiting the finally back-at-home Bills. Can we get a low stress win? Let’s take a look!
QB:
Whether Will Levis is in a good QB development situation or not, at the moment he ranks 30th in QBR, while Josh Allen is #1 in the NFL. Mason Rudolph may sub in this week, most likely with little difference. Prohibitive advantage Bills.
Run game weapons:
Tony Pollard is a very good all-around RB, but Tennessee will be without his partner Tyjae Spears this week. Watching Ray Davis shine last week probably served to motivate James Cook. I thought we might see Frank Gore Jr. last week, hopefully he gets to close out the game this week. Advantage Bills.
Passing game weapons:
Will Levis can’t claim it’s his WRs; Hopkins, Ridley, and Boyd comprise a solid unit. We are all curious how Buffalo’s new WR room will shake out, but beyond Cooper’s numbers… there should be better opportunities for everyone else. If you run into Joe Brady in Tim Horton’s, suggest having Cooper, Shakir, and Kincaid on the field as much as possible, and everyone else eats leftovers. Slight advantage Bills.
Offensive Line:
Some over officious jerks cast aspersions on the Bills unit last week, but I hope you were more impressed by the passion from Dawkins and Brown in the Jets game. The Titans have not evolved from an OL much better at run blocking than pass blocking. Advantage Bills.
Run defense:
The Titans pair of Jeffrey Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat are elite and are likely to be avoided as much as possible in the Bills game plan. Buffalo is generally good against the run, but the huge chunk runs are still a problem and skew the stats. Advantage Titans.
Pass defense:
With Taron Johnson on the field, the Bills are a top 5 unit in this category. The Titans are middle of the pack. Levis will face far more pressure than Allen. Advantage Bills.
Special teams:
Maybe a little easier stretch of games buys a struggling Bills unit in general and Tyler Bass in particular to right the ship. I fully expect he will. As mediocre as the Titans ST have been, no one earns a checkmark.
Coaching:
A report card for Sean McDermott would be loaded with top marks in almost every curriculum area, but the D in game management decisions continues to haunt the fan base. Fixing the one problem is more practical than finding someone as qualified in so many areas. Assign someone to make sure the obvious is not contradicted on a regular basis. It will take a lot of patience in Nashville for Brian Callahan to survive the rebuild, especially if Levis is not a QB1. Advantage Bills.
Intangibles:
Home, healthier, and welcoming a pro’s pro in Amari Cooper to Buffalo. Beautiful day, full house…advantage Bills.
The Forecast:
Josh Allen throws 4 TD passes and Tyler Bass goes 6-6. Enjoy the 49ers/Chiefs to follow, and TJ Watt vs Aaron Rodgers as a nightcap.
Bills 34 Titans 13.
The Pregame Plan:
Food:
Nashville hot chicken sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries
Beer:
Heard on WGR that Bills Backers from Germany and the U.K. will be in the house. I’m sure many will find their way to Labatts, but I suggest that Big Ditch Hayburner is a better representation of all things Buffalo.
Music: All things Tennessee:
- Tennessee River-Alabama
- Tennessee Whisky-Chris Stapleton
- Tennessee Jed-Grateful Dead
- Tennessee Stud-Johnny Cash
The Pacific Northwest is on deck!
Editor’s babble: This looks to be a great game to see in person! Many thanks to Joe Reagan for his contributions to our palate and blog. You can also find Joe on Xwitter @joer869.
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