The Tennessee Titans (0-0) begin the 2022 regular season this week with a late afternoon home game against the New York Giants (0-0). Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (69,143) is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Sept. 11.
In 12 all-time meetings between the Titans and Giants, the series is tied 6-6, including a 2-1 edge for the Titans at Nissan Stadium. The Giants have not appeared at Nissan Stadium since recording a win in 2014. The last time the Titans and Giants clashed was Dec. 16, 2018, when the Titans recorded a 17-0 shutout at MetLife Stadium.
The Titans are 32-30 all-time in season openers, including one previous contest with the Giants, a loss at New York in 1973. More recently, Mike Vrabel is 2-2 as Titans head coach on Kickoff Weekend. Under Vrabel, the Titans have recorded season-opening victories in 2019 (at Cleveland) and 2020 (at Denver) and losses in 2018 (at Miami) and 2021 (against Arizona).
THE BROADCAST
Sunday's contest will be regionally televised on Fox, including Nashville affiliate WZTV Fox 17. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler, analyst Mark Sanchez and reporter Laura Okmin.
Fans in Nashville can stream live Titans games with the newly-launched NFL+ subscription service, which offers access to all local games and all primetime games on phones and tablets, live local and national audio for every NFL game, and more.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone carry all Titans games across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells and gameday host Rhett Bryan.
TITANS SEEK THIRD CONSECUTIVE DIVISION TITLE
Vrabel and Titans executive vice president/general manager Jon Robinson lead the team into the regular season seeking their third consecutive AFC South division title and a fourth straight playoff campaign. The Titans are joined by the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers as the only NFL clubs to clinch playoff berths in each of the last three years.
Only the Chiefs (2013–2021) have more consecutive winning seasons than the Titans entering 2022. The Titans have finished above the .500 mark in each of the six seasons since Robinson arrived in 2016.
This week several members of the Titans roster could see their first regular-season action in their new home. Eight of the club's nine 2022 draft picks are on the 53-man roster, including first-round wide receiver Treylon Burks and second-round cornerback Roger McCreary. The roster also includes veteran additions such as tight end Austin Hooper and wide receiver Robert Woods. A total of 21 newcomers on the roster (39.6 percent) have been added since last season ended (as of Sept. 5).
The new pieces supplement a returning nucleus that helped the Titans go 12-5 in 2021 and claim the top seed in the AFC playoffs. The group of carryovers includes Pro Bowl quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose 30 wins are the most by a starting quarterback in franchise history during the player's first three years with the organization, and two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry (2019 and 2020), who ranks fourth in team history with 6,797 career rushing yards. Through the first eight weeks of 2021, Henry ranked first in the NFL with 937 rushing yards but finished the regular season on injured reserve.
On defense, safety Kevin Byard and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons return from Pro Bowl seasons in 2021, headlining a group that ranked second in the NFL in rushing defense (84.6 yards per game), sixth in third-down defense (36.7 percent), sixth in scoring defense (20.8 points per game) and tied for ninth in sacks (43).
THE GIANTS
The Giants launch a new era this week, as Brian Daboll begins his head-coaching tenure. The former Bills offensive coordinator joined the Giants early in the offseason, shortly after new general manager Joe Schoen likewise was hired away from the Bills. They look to rejuvenate a Giants team that finished 4-13 last year.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones embarks upon his fourth NFL campaign. The sixth-overall selection in the 2019 draft passed for 8,398 yards, 44 touchdowns and 29 interceptions during his first three seasons. In 2021, Jones was limited to 11 starts, passing for 2,428 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
