In a battle of division leaders, the Tennessee Titans (3-2) host the Buffalo Bills (4-1) this week in a nationally-televised game on Monday Night Football. Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CDT on Oct. 18.
This week marks the second consecutive season the Titans will host the Bills in a primetime matchup. On the evening of Oct. 13, 2020, due to a COVID-19-related postponement, the two teams met for the NFL's second Tuesday game since 1946 and the first one since 2010. The Titans came away with a 42-16 victory to break Buffalo's overall three-game winning streak in the series.
THE BROADCAST
ESPN will broadcast the game to a national audience, while the telecast also can be seen locally in Nashville on WZTV FOX 17. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Steve Levy, analysts Brian Griese and Louis Riddick, reporter Lisa Salters, and officiating analyst John Parry.
Fans can livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android), as well as on desktop computers and mobile web at TennesseeTitans.com. Restrictions apply. For information and more streaming options visit TennesseeTitans.com or NFL.com/ways-to-watch.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone will carry the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells and gameday host Rhett Bryan.
Additionally, Westwood One Sports will broadcast the game to a national radio audience. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and analyst Ron Jaworski have the call.
TITANS GET DIVISION WIN AT JACKSONVILLE
Last week the Titans traveled to meet the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars. Running back Derrick Henry rushed for three touchdowns, and safety Kevin Byard provided a touchdown on defense to help the Titans maintain their edge in the AFC South with a 37-19 victory.Â
Henry leads the NFL in 2021 with 640 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He has more rushing yards than any player in franchise history through five games and the most by any NFL player through five games since DeMarco Murray (670) with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. With 62 career rushing touchdowns, Henry now is two away from tying Eddie George (64) for second place in franchise history behind Earl Campbell (73).
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was an efficient 14-of-22 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown against the Jaguars (107.6 passer rating). He tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt.
Byard scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard fumble return in the first quarter. He added an interception in the fourth quarter, and in doing so, he became the ninth player in Titans/Oilers history with a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception in the same game and the first since cornerback Samari Rolle at Houston on Dec. 21, 2003.Â
THE BILLS
Sean McDermott is in his fifth season as Buffalo's head coach. He led the Bills to the playoffs in three of his first four seasons, including 2020, when the Bills won the AFC East and made their first appearance in the conference championship game since 1994.Â
Last week the Bills won their fourth consecutive game, defeating the Chiefs 38-20 in a Sunday night game at Kansas City. They forced four Chiefs turnovers, while quarterback Josh Allen accounted for four total touchdowns—three passing and one rushing. Buffalo leads the AFC East and sits in a tie with the Los Angeles Chargers for the best record in the conference.
Allen is in his fourth NFL season and coming off a 2020 campaign in which he garnered Pro Bowl and second team All-Pro honors. He became the only player in NFL history with at least 4,000 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns in a season.
On the other side of the ball, the Bills defense through five weeks in 2021 is ranked first overall, third against the run and second against the pass. Additionally, the Bills are allowing opponents a league-low average of 12.8 points per game.
