The Tennessee Titans have no shortage of issues going into their Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that shares the same 1-2 record.
The team is coming off one of its worst performances in the Titans era and now has to face an opponent that is the worst possible matchup in multiple areas when you consider Tennessee’s current weaknesses.
Buy Titans TicketsMuch of the focus this week will rightly be on the offensive line — and namely left tackle — but there are more concerns on offense, along with a few on the defensive side of the ball.
We address those concerns as we take a look at six burning questions for the Titans going into their Week 4 game against the Bengals at Nissan Stadium.
Will Titans make a change at LT?
After the worst performance of his Titans career, the calls for the team to make a switch at left tackle from Andre Dillard have begun in earnest.
And rightly so, Dillard has given a league-high up six sacks through three games, two more than the next closest player and three more than any other tackle in the NFL. He’s on pace to give up more sacks than Dennis Daley.
Sure, Dillard has had some rough matchups over the first three weeks and the Titans haven’t done enough to help him in those matchups, but we should also be expecting better from him.
When asked about potential changes to the offensive line, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t rule them out.
“We’ll continue to look and see what’s best and where guys go, but as it stands here right now, today, I don’t see something changing until we have some more time to visit on it tomorrow and see who is available, see who is healthy,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt.
The first name that comes out of everyone’s mouth is left guard Peter Skoronski, who was a great left tackle in college.
However, how Tennessee views the Northwestern product is unknown, as they might believe — like many draft analysts when he was coming out — that Skoronski’s shorter arms make him better suited for guard at this level.
Our Shaun Calderon does not agree with that assessment.
Even if he doesn’t have the type of length that you’d undoubtedly prefer, he’s still able to compensate for it with his elite explosiveness, superior technical skills, powerful strength, impeccable hand usage and impressive contact balance.
Hardly anybody is going to beat him with speed, and as of right now, I have much more confidence in Skor’s ability to withstand power rushes than I currently do with Dillard, even with the short arms.
Even if Skoronski moving to left tackle is in the plans, the Titans have to wait for him to recover from an appendectomy that has kept him out the last two games. Vrabel was unsure of his status for Week 4.
Other options include Dillon Radunz, who has played at left guard the past two weeks in Skoronski’s place, and veteran Justin Murray, who was signed from the practice squad on Tuesday.
I guess you could throw Chris Hubbard’s name in there, also, but then the Titans would have a void at right tackle, where the veteran has been surprisingly good this year.
At the end of the day, I don’t think a change at left tackle is impossible, I just don’t think it’ll happen this quickly. Expect Dillard to be out there again in Week 4.
Will Peter Skoronski return?
Even if the Titans don’t move him to left tackle, the return of Skoronski from his appendectomy will provide a boost on the left side. Radunz has performed admirably but has also given up six pressures.
Will Dillard (or whoever is at LT) hold up against Trey Hendrickson?
I fully expect Dillard to be the left tackle in Week 4, but never say never.
Regardless of who is out there, the Titans have a big problem on their hands in edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is capable of wrecking a game just like Cleveland Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett did in Week 3.
In his last 49 games, Hendrickson has a whopping 38.5 sacks, with three of those coming over the first three weeks of 2023. Titans fans got a glimpse of what might be in store in Week 4 when Hendrickson abused the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football” to the tune of 10 pressures and two sacks.
Tennessee offensive coordinator Tim Kelly must do a better job of helping his left tackle in this matchup or else it’ll be more of the same disaster.
Can Titans get the ground game going?
The Titans were stymied on the ground last Sunday to the tune of just 26 yards on 15 carries, which is a pathetic 1.7 yards per tote.
But the Titans’ issues running the football are a season-long problem, with Derrick Henry averaging a measly 3.2 yards per carry this season, and the team as a whole averaging 3.8.
There were multiple factors at play in Tennessee’s putrid Week 3 showing on the ground. The Browns sport an elite run defense, the offensive line isn’t good at run-blocking and the offense is too predictable, leading to Henry running into a million defenders every time he gets the football.
This is a major problem for a Titans team whose quarterback thrives off play-action. Adding to that, the lack of success on the ground is leaving the Titans in second- and third-and-long situations that the pass protection can’t hold up against.
Kelly has to figure out something quickly because this offense can’t hope to get far if Henry and Tyjae Spears aren’t making things happen on the ground.
Can Titans' secondary hold up against elite WR trio?
If Tennessee’s secondary wasn’t getting burnt in coverage against the Browns in Week 3, it was committing back-breaking penalties to extend drives and lead to scores for Cleveland.
Kristian Fulton was the biggest culprit, as he allowed multiple big plays and would have given up two long touchdowns if not for a bad call by officials. He also committed a bad pass interference penalty on a second-and-26 to extend the Browns’ drive, leading to a touchdown.
Mike Vrabel called the last deep touchdown to Amari Cooper a “missed execution” by #Titans CB Kristian Fulton.
“Kristian was supposed to cover the guy.” pic.twitter.com/RPfE2jpJMW
— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) September 25, 2023
While Fulton is the biggest issue right now, he isn’t the only one. The group as a whole has to play better, especially when the pass-rush isn’t up to snuff like it was in Week 3.
A matchup with the Bengals is just about the worst possible one for this group, as Cincy sports arguably the best trio of receivers in the NFL with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Fulton will mostly be responsible for Chase.
Will the pass-rush get back on track?
The Titans notched three sacks against the Browns but could have had many more if not for several whiffs. That’s not something this Tennessee defense can afford with the way the secondary is playing — and that’s especially true against Joe Burrow and Co.
After a dominant Week 1, Arden Key, who was responsible for one of those aforementioned whiffs, has just three pressures. The Titans need much more from him this week, and the same can be said for Harold Landry.
Perhaps the Titans should think about giving Trevis Gipson a chance. The veteran defender played just seven snaps in Week 1 and has been inactive for each of the last two games. Let’s hope Tennessee doesn’t waste his talent like it did Josh Reynolds.
