Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Victory Over Tennessee Titans

The Oakland Raiders, after splitting their first two games with NFC South squads, now get a stiff test from an AFC South squad in the Tennessee Titans.

The Oakland Raiders roll into Music City to square off with the Tennessee Titans looking to right their ship. Though the Silver and Black has gotten off to a blistering start offensively, their defense has simply been getting blistered. The beating the defense has been taking is a trend the Raiders will need to reverse if they hope to have sustained success this season.

Tennessee has had their own mixed start to their 2016 campaign. After some upgrades to their roster over the offseason, some felt the Titans could be a dark horse candidate to make the playoffs this year.

They have a solid and improving quarterback in Marcus Mariota and a pair of potentially lethal running backs in DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. They also have a defense that, while not spectacular, can help keep them in some games.

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If there is a weakness to Tennessee’s game, it’s in their passing attack where wideouts Tajae Sharpe, Rishard Matthews, and Andre Johnson have been – adequate.

The Titans currently sit at 1-1 and have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after a come from behind win over Detroit last week. A win in which the Titans scored 13 unanswered fourth quarter points to pull off the victory.

Both teams have a lot on the line this week. The Raiders will be looking to get right on defense and look to keep pace in the AFC West. The Titans, having seen Houston lose to a Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo-less Patriots team, can move into a tie atop their division with a win.

Though it’s probably far too early to say this is a must-win for the Raiders, this is most definitely a “defense must rapidly improve” for the squad. This is a game that this rebuilt Oakland defense has to prove its worth, prove it can be a force, and prove it can be a source of strength for this team.

Which sort of makes it a must-win, in a manner of speaking. Oakland’s defense needs to get back on track and lead this team to a win. With that in mind, here are a few keys to making that happen…