NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Buffalo Bills on Monday night at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a quick look at the Bills:
Record: 4-1.
Points for/against: 34.4/12.8.
NFL RANKINGS
Offense: 8th overall, 410.4 ypg (5th rushing, 8th passing).
Defense: 1st overall, 251.8 ypg (3rd rushing, 2nd passing).
TEAM LEADERS
Head coach: Sean McDermott.
Offense:
QB: Josh Allen (114-of-183, 1,370 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs, 102.5 rating).
Top RB: Devin Singletary (55 rush, 284 yards, 5.2 ypc, 1 TDs).
Top WRs: Stefon Diggs (28 catches, 374 yards, 1 TD), Cole Beasley (26 catches, 215 yards, 0 TDs), Emmanuel Sanders (19 catches, 322 yards, 4 TDs).
Top TE: Dawson Knox (18 catches, 261 yards, 5 TDs).
Defense:
Sacks: DE Gregory Rousseau (3).
Leading tackler: LB Tremaine Edmonds (30).
Interceptions: S Micah Hyde (3).
Take/Give: +11 (15/4).
Kicker: Tyler Bass (11-of-12 FGs, 19-of-19 PATs).
Punter: Mat Haack (44.4, 36.7).
Last meeting: October 13, 2020: Titans 42, Bills 16.
Of note:
-Bills tight end Dawson Knox attended Brentwood Academy. His father, David Knox, played baseball at Belmont University.
-Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson is a native of Franklin, Tenn., and he attended Centennial High School.
-Titans inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett was a second-round pick of the Bills in the 1979 NFL Draft.
-Buffalo leads the NFL with a plus 108-point differential (172 points scored, 64 points against) through five weeks and they can become just the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 200 points and allow 100-or-fewer points through their first six games of the season.
-The Bills enter the game with an NFL-record 14 consecutive wins when leading at halftime.
-Buffalo leads the NFL in both points scored per game (34.4) and the fewest allowed per game (12.8). The Bills also rank first in takeaways (15) and turnover margin (plus-11).
Injury Report
RB Taiwan Jones (hamstring)
DE Mario Addison (rest)
LB Matt Milano (hamstring)
OL Ryan Bates (ankle)
OL Joe Feliciano
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel:
(on Bills tight end Dawson Knox and the impact he has on the Bills offense)
We spent a lot of time (with him), local kid, we spent a lot of time on him. He came and visited with us back when they had the local pro days. He didn't work out, he didn't have to, but he came in and visited and I got to know him. I think I ran into his grandfather, somewhere near Hillsboro I think. That was pretty cool to see. 'Draft my grandson.' I said, 'Well, I am sure there are a lot of people trying draft him.' Just remember his story of being a walk on at Ole Miss, fighting and earning a scholarship. Changing positions from quarterback, very athletic, very good mover, catches the football, doesn't fight it, and really earned the trust of the quarterback. Think you saw that the other night, they threw one up and the defender was pretty close. I think it was a 50-50 ball, but he knew that Dawson (Knox) was going to come down with it, he high pointed it, and Josh (Allen) made a good throw.
(on if the Bills present any bigger or different challenges from a year ago)
We just watched this year. They seem to get open and score touchdowns.
(on if it is hard to form a gameplan against a team that is good on both sides of the ball)
I think forming it is the easy part, it is executing it that will be the tough part. They are number one in a lot of categories, scoring both offensively and defensively, third down they are very high in both offense and defense, number one in the league in red zone, plus-nine in the turnover margin. Outscoring opponents 160-something to 40 or 50 in the last four games with two shutouts. This is a huge challenge.
(on the Bills run defense)
They play sound, they play fast, good tacklers, great effort, good fundamentals. A lot of respect for what Sean (McDermott) and that staff has done. It is also a group that has been together for a while. In the backend, you can look at the safeties and that group, and they have a nickel that tackles and triggers and blitzes. The safeties are good blitzers and the linebackers have all been together. The front is a little different with some new bodies in there, but they are young and athletic. (Ed) Oliver is a disrupter. They play a lot of guys up front.
(on how he has seen Bills quarterback Josh Allen grow through the last four years)
He trusts the offensive line, he is a lot more patient, he will wait things out, there is some good anticipation. I think he is, and again I am sure you guys will shred holes in this, but his deep ball accuracy – I just felt like watching on film, I think the deep ball accuracy is really good. I don't know, I think maybe a couple years ago he was airmailing a couple of those, I don't know. I think back and they were taking shots and maybe he was overthrowing some guys. He is really accurate. He made a throw the other night in the game to his left, down the seam, and they couldn't have defended it no matter what they had called.
(on if this game against Buffalo is seen as a measuring stick for this team)
No. I think every week in this league is a huge challenge. I know that comes off sometimes as it doesn't make sense, but it is. It is learning a new scheme, it is learning a new set of players and skillset, and what the receivers do, what the bread-and-butter plays are, and what scheme plays you might get. Every week is a challenge and none bigger than this one with the way they are playing and their confidence level and what they do. It is a very good football team.
(on what he sees from the Buffalo Bills and if last year's game helps in the preparation)
I would doubt it. It looked like they were scoring at will, moving the ball. Looks like the quarterback is a running back with an elite arm. It is like a Wildcat that throws for 350 yards a game.
(on running back Derrick Henry's stiff arm against the Bills last year)
Best five-yard run in football history.
