It was 16 seasons ago when these teams met in Super Bowl XXXIV and Jeff Fisher was coaching the Titans.
Fisher returns to Tennessee for the first time since 2010 as coach of the St. Louis Rams to take on Marcus Mariota and the Titans Sunday on FOX.
ODDS
The hometown fans get their first glimpse of wonder boy Marcus Mariota and the Titans were pegged as a 1.5-point favorite. The total opened at 38.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Nick Foles was strong in his Rams debut last week, completing 3 of 5 passes for 69 yards in two series. Given the instability of the offensive line and the season-ending injury to Sam Bradford in last year’s preseason, it’s likely coach Jeff Fisher keeps Foles on a short leash. It also allows the Rams to work on a backup for Foles. Case Keenum and Sean Mannion both completed a high percentage of passes last week, but for little yardage. Mannion and Austin Davis each worked a fourth quarter series while Keenum filled the snaps in between. The Rams did very little offensively last week, hindered in part by 10 penalties, but some improvement must be made.
After a rough beginning to his pro career, Marcus Mariota finished up strong. The No. 2 pick in the draft threw an interception and lost a fumble on his first two series before finishing his third and final drive of the night with five straight completions, as the Titans settled for field goal. The Titans have two capable backups in Zach Mettenberger and Charlie Whitehurst, which leads us to believe one of them could be traded to a team that needs a quarterback. Mariota will play another three series or so in front of the home fans before giving way.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
It’s nice to have the No. 2 overall pick from the recent draft under center, but if you don’t have the horses to protect him, there’s trouble brewing. The Titans are having to shuffle around players on the offensive line, a unit they hoped would be all set by this point in the preseason. “We’re looking for the right five, and we’re working on that,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. They better find the right combination or Mariota could be in for a long season. Tennessee has invested heavily in this offensive line since 2013, signing Andy Levitre to a big free-agent contract and drafting Chance Warmack, Brian Schwenke and Taylor Lewan.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It’s hard to say that you made progress because we didn’t play that many plays. But I like the fact that Taylor Lewan made the statement about the offensive line not playing well, and there’s got to be a mentality with that group that we’ve got to be tougher, we’ve got to run the ball, and we’ve got to be able to protect.” – Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
While the Rams wait for draft pick Todd Gurley to fully rehab his surgically repaired knee, the running back situation remains up for grabs. In the interim, Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Isaiah Pead, Chase Reynolds, Trey Watts and undrafted free agent Malcolm Brown are holding down the fort. Mason led the team with 765 rushing yards last season, but is hardly a lock to own the position once the regular season starts. Everybody got at least one carry last week with Brown leading the group with 18 yards on two tries. Cunningham has been the achiever in the group and Watts will have to serve a four-game suspension if makes the squad. Look for the Rams to run the football behind an offensive line that struggled to pass protect last week.
INJURIES
The Rams will be without starting left guard Rodger Saffold, who continues to recover from an apparent right shoulder injury suffered in the preseason opener last week. Linebacker Darren Bates sprained his MCL in the same game and is out.
Titans starting cornerback Jason McCourty continues to rehab a groin injury and is likely out while backup linebackers Yannik Cujoe-Virgil and J.R. Tavai, both of whom were injured last week in Atlanta, have yet to practice this week.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This game means a lot more to Fisher and the Rams than it does to the Titans, and his players will respond to get him a win. Fisher is the Tennessee/Houston franchise leader in coaching victories – by a lot – and was let go unceremoniously following the 2010 season. Though the Rams were shellacked by the Raiders last week, cleaning up the discipline part of the game – they were penalized 10 times – should make them much more competitive.
St. Louis 24, Tennessee 21
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -1.5 in favor of the Titans. The NFL online odds total surfaced at 38. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans will square off Sunday, August 23, 2015, at 5 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on FOX.
