NASHVILLE, Tenn. --This week the Tennessee Titans (2-4) travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills (3-3). Kickoff at Ralph Wilson Stadium (capacity 73,967) is scheduled for noon CDT on Sunday, Oct. 21.
The Titans and Bills, two of the eight original American Football League rivals, have met on 43 prior occasions, including playoffs. Their rich history includes Tennessee's "Music City Miracle" Wild Card win during the 1999 playoffs and a 32-point comeback victory by the Bills in a 1992 Wild Card matchup.
The Titans lead the series 27-16. They prevailed last season in Buffalo, as Chris Johnson rushed for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 23-17 win. It gave Johnson a combined 285 yards and four touchdowns in two career games versus the Bills.
THE BROADCAST
This week's game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. Marv Albert will handle play-by-play duties while Rich Gannon provides analysis.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will broadcast the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, color commentator Frank Wycheck, sideline reporter Cody Allison and gameday host Larry Stone.
LAST WEEK
The Titans will have 10 days to prepare for the Bills, following their Oct. 11 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. Rob Bironas' 40-yard field goal—his fourth of the game—with time expiring gave the Titans a 26-23 victory.
Matt Hasselbeck earned the win as the starting quarterback. Making his second consecutive start due to Jake Locker's left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, Hasselbeck completed 24 of 44 passes for 290 yards. His five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Britt helped to tie the score with less than five minutes remaining, and he found tight end Jared Cook for a 25-yard gain to set up Bironas' deciding kick.
Britt recorded four catches for 61 yards, while rookie Kendall Wright led the team with six receptions for 71 yards. Wright, the 20th overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, has led the team in receptions for four consecutive weeks. His 33 receptions this season rank first on the squad and first among all NFL rookies, and he also ranks first among rookies with 285 receiving yards.
Other notable performances against the Steelers included 91 rushing yards by Johnson, a momentum-changing interception by Jason McCourty and a blocked punt by Tim Shaw.
THE BILLS
The Bills ended a two-game losing streak with last week's 19-16 overtime win at the Arizona Cardinals. Safety Jairus Byrd's second interception of the contest put Rian Lindell in position for the game-winning 25-yard field goal in the extra period. The four AFC East clubs (Bills, Patriots, Jets and Dolphins) are now deadlocked with 3-3 records in 2012.
During the offseason, the Bills made one of the NFL's premier acquisitions, signing free agent defensive end Mario Williams from the Houston Texans. Williams is in his seventh NFL season and has 56.5 career sacks. He picked up two of the team's five sacks against the Cardinals.
Under the direction of head coach Chan Gailey, Buffalo's offense is spearheaded by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, wide receiver Stevie Johnson and the two-pronged rushing attack of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.
