NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans (2-8) host the Oakland Raiders (4-6) this week at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143). Kickoff is scheduled for noon CST on Sunday, Nov. 29.
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THE BROADCAST**
This week's game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. Play-by-play announcerGreg Gumbeland analystTrent Greenwill call the action, andJamie Erdahlwill report from the sidelines.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, gameday host Rhett Bryan and sideline reporter Jonathan Hutton.
TITANS LOOK TO END NOVEMBER ON HIGH NOTE
The Titans hope to pick up their first home win of the season in this week's post-Thanksgiving matchup with the Raiders. They will have 10 days to prepare after suffering a 19-13 defeat at Jacksonville last Thursday night.
The Titans led late in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars, only to see their efforts thwarted by a pair of Jaguars scores. The first, a five-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Julius Thomas, was preceded by a 63-yard punt return by Rashad Greene. Then, the Jaguars recovered a Titans fumble to help set up Jason Myers'fourth field goal.
The Titans still had a chance to retake the lead. They took possession at their own 20-yard line with 2:19 on the clock and moved into Jacksonville territory. However, as time expired, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked by Andre Branch before he could deliver a final pass attempt to the end zone.
The Titans defense maintained its hot streak against the Jaguars, totaling four sacks and forcing a pair of turnovers. The unit has at least four sacks in three consecutive games and is tied for second place in the NFL with 31 sacks this season. Overall, the defense is allowing the sixth-fewest yards per game in the league (324.3) and the third-fewest passing yards per game (214.2).
TitansOnline.com looks back at the all-time series against the Oakland Raiders. (AP Photos)
Tennessee's leader in sacks is veteran outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, whose seven total sacks in his first season with the team include at least one quarterback takedown in each of the last four games. Since the start of the 1999 season, the only other player for the Titans with a four-game or longer sack streak was Jevon Kearse, who accomplished the feat three times (1999, 2000 and 2003).
Mariota's numbers at Jacksonville included 22 completions on 35 attempts for 231 yards. He also ran for a 23-yard score–the first rushing touchdown of his career. As a rookie, the second-overall pick is 169-of-259 passing for 2,026 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 96.1 passer rating leads the rookie class and ranks 12th among all quarterbacks. He needs 174 more passing yards to break Vince Young's franchise rookie passing record of 2,199 yards. * *
CARR FLOURISHING FOR RAIDERS IN SECOND YEAR
For the second consecutive week, the Titans will face one of the top quarterbacks from the 2014 NFL Draft. After going against Bortles in Jacksonville, the Tennessee defense will direct its attention in this game to Oakland's Derek Carr, the 36th overall pick a year ago out of Fresno State. Carr is 216-of-341 passing for 2,565 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2015. His 99.4 passer rating ranks seventh in the league.
Last week, Carr and the Raiders visited the Detroit Lions. Like the Titans at Jacksonville, the Raiders took a 13-9 lead into the fourth quarter, only to fall short in the end. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's five-yard touchdown run helped Detroit to an 18-13 victory. Carr was 13-of-25 for 169 yards on the day.
The Raiders are in their first season under the direction of Jack Del Rio, the longtime head coach of the Jaguars (2003–2011). Del Rio spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos before taking the Oakland post. His current team is sitting in third place in the AFC West, behind the Broncos (8-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-5).
ANNUAL COAT DRIVE
Prior to the Titans-Raiders game, fans are encouraged to participate in the team's annual coat drive. New and used coats of all sizes can be dropped off at one of several collection sites around Nissan Stadium. All donated coats will be distributed to area homeless shelters and United Way Family Resource Centers.
