The Titans travel to the Sunshine State once more to take in all the sights and sounds of Miami. They are zero for two in the state this season so far. Tennessee’s defense will be stressed to the max as they face the high-powered and deviously devilish offensive wizardry of Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins have made the Dolfans very happy this season as they lead the AFC East with no letup in sight. Can Will Levis lead the Titans to an upset victory in primetime with everyone watching? Will the Dolphins expose all the weaknesses of the Titans’ defense and put up a Miami Heat-like score?
Music City Musings – Week 14: Tennessee Titans @ Miami Dolphins
Dolphins Offense vs. Titans Defense
The powerful Dolphins offense is set to go against a wounded and hapless Titans defense. Tennessee has a game and resilient defense against most opponents but Miami isn’t most opponents. The Phins’ offense presents a variety of weapons for the Titans to go up against and a stout offensive line.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
Much like Indianapolis last week, Miami features the same aspects with solid bookends and an elite interior right side. Left tackle Terron Armstead is the highly-paid megabucks star with a top 20 grade of 75.7, according to PFF. Where Tennessee can exploit the line’s weakness is at left guard. Liam Eichenberg is playing out of position due to an injury to starter Robert Jones. Center Connor Williams has been one of the best centers in the league since coming over from the Cowboys. He has truly blossomed in Miami after a pretty decent start in the Metroplex. The “other” Robert on the line at right guard, Hunt, has been great this season as well. He’s taken a little bit to get going but 2023 is a breakout campaign. A top-five positional grade of 77.5 for Hunt. Right tackle Austin Jackson has been solid as well, earning a contract extension recently.
Tennessee will be missing their superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons with a knee injury suffered last week. It’s going to be up to Teair Tart and Denico Autry to slide inside to help carry the water. The possibility that recent practice squad additions Ross Blacklock and Marlon Davidson getting a look exists. Due to Simmons’ injury, there will be extra stress put on the defensive front to combat an already good offensive line. There will be a lot of mixing and matching going on throughout the week for sure. Harold Landry and Arden Key will have to come alive this week.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
This might be the most overmatched contest between two opponents since the heyday of the Harlem Globetrotters against the Washington Generals. Tyreek Hill is on pace for a record-breaking season and is probably a shoo-in for OPOY. He’s also a candidate for MVP for a very likely shot at 2,000 yards as a receiver. There’s a chance that he reaches 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the other side is the uber-freak athlete Jaylen Waddle, who’s not too shabby himself. In the run game, Raheem Mostert leads the way but the backups have been a conglomeration of speed. Rookie De’Von Achane has been a revelation and would’ve been a leading contender for OROY if not for injuries. Braxton Berrios and Durham Smythe serve as reliable outlets for Tua.
Tennessee will attempt to counter the vast and sheer amount of offensive weaponry with a feckless secondary likely missing its top corner, Kristian Fulton. Sean Murphy-Bunting and Roger McCreary will probably start on the perimeter with Eric Garror in the slot. Tre Avery will be the swing corner that toggles between inside and outside. K’Von Wallace will have to be on top of his game alongside Amani Hooker. As for the linebackers, Azeez Al-Shaair carries the load as Jack Gibbens will probably be repeatedly exploited for his lack of athleticism.
Titans Offense vs. Dolphins Defense
The inconsistently consistent Titans offense faces off against the Dolphins’ defense that can cause nightmares even to the best quarterbacks. Rookie Will Levis has given the offense a breath of fresh air since taking over the reins from Ryan Tannehill. He will go up against perhaps the fiercest defense to date in his young career on Monday night.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
Tennessee’s offensive line has gone through significant changes as rookie Jaelyn Duncan takes over the left tackle spot while the right tackle belongs to Dillon Radunz. Duncan has had his rookie moments but has generally acquitted himself well in spurts. Radunz has finally gotten some run as the right tackle since Chris Hubbard was put on IR recently. Peter Skoronski is another rookie living up to his first-round billing and then some. Center Aaron Brewer is too undersized and inconsistent to merit a roster spot beyond this season. Right guard Daniel Brunskill has been good when healthy.
In comes a fearsome defensive front that still has assets galore even with the loss of rising star Jaelan Phillips. Bradley Chubb and Christian Wilkins are household names and are tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5 each. Miami boasts depth galore along the line as they can deploy Andrew Van Ginkel in a variety of roles as a linebacker or EDGE rusher. Raekwon Davis and Zach Siler have been effective in their roles. It will be interesting to see how Miami can cope without Phillips. Expect slightly elevated roles for JPP and Emmanuel Ogbah. The key will be how much pressure can the Titans absorb along the perimeter.
Skill-on Skill Matchups to Watch
If the Dolphins have a lopsided advantage offensively against the Titans secondary, it’s just as bad on the opposite side. Tennessee cannot go toe to toe with their lackluster receiving corps against Miami’s talent-laden secondary. DeAndre Hopkins is the only consistent threat that defenses must respect. Treylon Burks is slowly recovering from a concussion and has had it rough in Nashville. He didn’t play much last week in his return. Kyle Philips has been injured and was a healthy scratch last week. OC Tim Kelly has done a solid job of scheming receivers open. Tight end Chig Okonkwo has struggled mightily this season.
For Miami, their secondary is led by a pair of Volunteer State natives, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and big nickel Jevon Holland. Both players are at the top of their positions. On the other side of Ramsey is veteran Xavien Howard and in the slot is sophomore Kadar Kohou. It will be tough going for Levis to find any weak points at the back end. Linebacker David Long, Jr will be looking for revenge against his former team this week. Duke Riley is the other inside linebacker while AVG roams around. It will be interesting to see how Tennessee can get Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears going in the passing game. Spears was handed a prominent role last week while Henry was out with a possible head injury. He was more than capable of handling the load and has been throughout the season.
Weather Report
The weather in Miami is projected to be cooler for Monday night after a weekend of potential rain. Monday night’s temperature is predicted to be 69 degrees with a 34% chance of rain. The humidity will be a stifling 74%, typical for South Florida year-round. Winds are projected to blow in north by northeast direction at 11 miles per hour. The weather and stadium are a gigantic advantage for the home team as most opponents aren’t ready for the humidity. Tennessee will have to be hydrated and trained properly for the high temperatures.
Odds and Ends
Miami leads the all-time series with a record of 21-18. Mike Vrabel has a 1-0 record against the Dolphins. Tennessee is 6-8 against the Dolphins since the franchise rebranded to the Titans. Second-year head coach Mike McDaniel is 1-0 against the AFC South in his brief time in South Beach.
Uniforms
Tennessee will once again don the white jersey / light blue combo this season. They last wore the combo in that horrendous Thursday night loss to the Steelers. The franchise is 27-34 all-time wearing this combination with a 2-6 record since the uniform rebrand in 2018. These aren’t the best of omens for the uniform superstitious.
Data courtesy of Titans Uni Tracker
Titans
🚨Wardrobe check:🚨 The #Titans will be decked out in white jerseys, with light blue britches and white socks, in Monday night’s game vs the @MiamiDolphins. 👖
🧦 photoshop by @israelvaides. #BritchesReport pic.twitter.com/7oi73IHI97
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 7, 2023
Draft Pick Watch
Miami holds the 31st overall selection after winning three consecutive games
Tennessee has jumped to eighth from tenth after the loss against Indianapolis. They are in a four-way tiebreaker for fifth with a 4-8 overall record. They have the highest strength of schedule among the four teams so they are last in the tiebreaker.
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Tennessean
