Ten things to know about the Tennessee Titans (3-9
Ten things to know about the Tennessee Titans (3-9
1. It has been another painful year in Nashville. Let's sum up the Titans' season this way (in no particular order): Six-game losing streak. Three-game losing streak. Coach fired. Marcus Mariota, savior.
2. Ken Whisenhunt, handed a terrible roster, was the scapegoat for a 1-6 start. He was fired on Nov. 3, replaced by offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey on an interim basis. Mularkey is 2-3 and hopes to get the full-time gig, but there's little chance of that happening. The front office already is performing due diligence on potential head-coaching candidates.
3. The Titans snapped an 11-game home losing streak last week with a 42-39 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, so they'll be coming to MetLife Stadium in a positive frame of mind. They haven't won back-to-back games since Dec. 22 and Dec. 29, 2013, so it'll be a big step if they can beat the Jets.
4. Mariota, the second overall pick, has lived up to the hype. He's a smart, tough and athletic, with the ability to make plays inside and outside the pocket. His signature moment came in last week's win, when he beat a blitz and ran for an 87-yard touchdown -- the third-longest run in NFL history by a quarterback. He became the first player in history to pass for 250 yards and three touchdowns and rush for 100 yards in a single game. He accounted for four touchdowns, joining Fran Tarkenton (1961) as the only rookies since 1960 to have three four-touchdown games. Dude can play.
5. Mariota's rise has coincided with Mularkey's promotion. Since Week 9, Mariota's Total QBR is 81.6, second-best in the league. The only player with a better QBR over that span is Cam Newton (82.1), and he just might be the MVP of the league. All told, Mariota has 19 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions in 10 starts; he missed two games due to knee and ankle injuries. Remember all the talk before the draft about whether he could adapt to a pro-style offense? He seems to be managing nicely.
6. There's a stark contrast between the Titans' tight ends and those of the Jets, and that's an understatement. Led by Delanie Walker (67 catches for 800 yards), the Titans lead the league with 104 receptions by tight ends. The Jets are at the bottom with only seven. Walker isn't a conventional tight end in that he often lines up in the slot.
7. The Jets will be facing a Beckham for the second week in a row. This time, it's rookie wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (no relation to Odell). It has been an inconsistent year for DGB, a second-round pick who didn't play his final season in college due to off-the-field issues. He was dismissed by Missouri and transferred to Oklahoma, but never played. He's a talent, though. He's 6-foot-5 and he can fly. He's coming off his best game -- five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
8. It would be a mistake to sleep on the Titans defense. The unit is coached by legendary defensive mind Dick LeBeau, known as the creator of the zone blitz. Not surprisingly, the Titans have blitzed on 185 snaps, the fifth-highest total in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Led by defensive end Jurrell Casey and outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, they're ranked eighth in yards per game and 21st in scoring defense. Their Achilles' heel is the red zone (65 percent), where they rank 29th. They got lit up last week by Blake Bortles, who threw five touchdowns.
9. The Titans have invested a lot of resources in their offensive line -- two first-round picks (left tackle Taylor Lewan and right guard Chance Warmack) and a marquee free agent (left guard Andy Levitre). It hasn't help their running game much, though. Their most dangerous threat is Mariota.
10. New Jersey-born rock star Jon Bon Jovi tweeted there's no truth to the rumor that he's interested in buying the Titans. Indeed, Bon Jovi doesn't seem like a Nashville kind of guy. He's rock, not country.