NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There are many variables and metrics for the preseason, but the 2013 slate for the Tennessee Titans will have four games against 2012 playoff teams.
The Titans will host the Washington Redskins at LP Field to open preseason play. Tennessee is then scheduled to visit Cincinnati, host Atlanta and visit Minnesota. Times and dates will be determined.
Tennessee is 3-4 all-time against Washington in the preseason. The teams last met in the preseason on Aug. 22, 2008 in a 17-3 win by the Redskins. Washington also claimed a win in its most recent visit to Nashville, prevailing 19-16 in overtime on Nov. 21, 2010.
Eyes likely will be tuned to the progress from injuries made by starting quarterbacks on both sidelines. Titans QB Jake Locker underwent shoulder surgery in January, and Redskins QB Robert Griffin III has had offseason surgery to repair his knee.
Tennessee has only played Cincinnati once in the preseason, a 23-15 Titans win on Aug. 23, 2003 after the teams were no longer AFC Central rivals. The teams last met in the regular season on Nov. 6, 2011 in a 24-17 win by the Bengals that gave Cincinnati the edge against Tennessee in a tiebreaker to make the playoffs that season.
The Titans are 3-4 all-time against Atlanta in the preseason, including (most recently) a 17-3 loss on Aug. 22, 2008 at the Georgia Dome. The teams last played in the regular season on Nov. 20, 2011 in a 23-17 win by the Falcons.
That game marked the first significant playing time for Locker, a rookie that season who entered the game in relief of Matt Hasselbeck and with the Titans trailing 23-3. Locker ignited a comeback attempt against the Falcons with a pair of TD passes to Nate Washington.
The Titans met the Falcons for a scrimmage practice last season in Dalton, Ga. Tennessee general manager Ruston Webster said the Titans are interested in having a similar practice this season, but it is not yet known if that will occur with Atlanta or possibly another team.
Tennessee is 1-4 in the preseason against Minnesota, including a 14-3 home victory by the Titans in their last meeting on Aug. 13, 2011. The Titans lost 30-7 in their most recent regular season game against the Vikings on Oct. 7, 2012.
Regular season opponents were already determined through a rotating schedule and results from the 2012 season. Tennessee knows it will host AFC South rivals Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville, AFC West foes Kansas City and San Diego and the New York Jets from the AFC East. The Titans will also host Arizona and San Francisco from the NFC West. The dates of those games are expected to be determined later this month.
Single-game tickets for regular season and preseason games will be on sale to the public this summer.
