The Tennessee Titans (1-2) travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday to take on the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) looking to bounce back in a Week 4 matchup.
Both of these teams are more talented than their records reflect. While they have had their early struggles, this has been a historically close and exciting contest, and neither team can afford to lose.
Here are three offensive keys to victory for the Titans to right the ship this week.
1. Get Derrick Henry more involved.
Henry has had a touchdown in each of the Titans first three games. Whether it be through the air or on the ground, the Titans need to make getting Derrick Henry the ball the main priority of this offense.
Henry is averaging 4.1 yards per carry through three games, a first down on 27.5% of his carries and a touchdown on 25% of his carries.
While with more carries the touchdown percentage would go down, it should mean more touchdowns for the Titans. Through three games Henry has posted 51 carries, and that number should be approaching 70 at this point.
Control the clock.
One of the best ways to control the clock is to have an effective run game. But, it also means converting on third-down, and getting themselves behind the chains, which means the offensive line has to hold up better.
While the Falcons may have had their fair share of struggles this season, their offense is a threat to score on any given drive. Their lone win came in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Wide receiver Julio Jones caught a last-minute screen pass and took it 54 yards to the house. The Falcons won that game 24-20.
The longer the Titans offense can stay on the field, the shorter amount of time Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense has on the field.
Make better coaching decisions.
There have been several things holding the Titans back in 2019 — one of the biggest being coaching decisions.
Not taking chip shot field goals, going for it on unnecessary fourth downs, and refusing to throw the ball past the sticks on third downs is a major reason why the Titans sit at 1-2 right now.
When the Titans face a fourth down in field goal range, they need to take the points. When they face a fourth down on their own side of the field, they need to punt. When the Titans face a third down, they need to call a play with a more likely chance of getting a first down, unless a sack would knock them out of field goal range.
