The Green Bay Packers travel to Nashville to take a woebegone Titans squad struggling to find answers to its boneheaded quarterback problem. Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur returns to his old stomping grounds for the first time in the series. He’ll likely be missing a giant piece as former Titans draft pick Malik Willis stood in for the injured Jordan Love last week. Tennessee will look to rebound after two disastrous losses that saw its chances of making a run with Will Levis fade significantly.
Music City Musings – Week 3: Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans
Packers Offense vs. Titans Defense
Depending on Jordan Love’s health, the Packers’ offensive philosophy will change from a run-dominant attack to more of a balanced attack. There has been speculation that he could play this week, scuppering any chance Tennessee’s defense has. It would be a boon to Green Bay’s receivers and a detriment to the Titans’ secondary. We will see as practice reports continue to roll in. Tennessee’s defense has been a top-ten unit across the league two weeks into the season. Former Titans’ passer Malik Willis is in line to start on Sunday.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
The Packers feature three starters from their 2022 draft class, which is quite remarkable and shows their long-term outlook. According to PFF, their weakest link could be center Josh Myers, who has posted consecutive seasons of sub-60 overall grades. Left guard Elgton Jenkins has been in Green Bay the longest, serving along the line in various positions since the 2019 season. Penn State’s Rasheed Walker mans the left side and has been inconsistent since being drafted in the seventh round in 2022. Another 2022 draft selection, Zach Tom, has fared much better than Walker, entrenching himself as one of the better right tackles. Green Bay drafted Jordan Morgan out of Arizona in this year’s draft, but is injured.
Tennessee’s pass rush has been very muted to start the season, as they have registered only four sacks. Second-round rookie T’Vondre Sweat has flashed his immense potential at times. Jeffery Simmons hasn’t made much of an impact yet, as he has 0 sacks on the season. Despite his massive salary, Arden Key is also nonexistent, with just four tackles. Harold Landry is back to being the star pass rusher who took the league by storm, leading the team with three sacks. The Titans are stout against the run, giving up 92 yards per game. They should have an advantage if Tennessee can withstand the run-heavy attack that will likely be deployed again in Love’s absence.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
Green Bay has a flotilla of deep threats at receiver, plus the offensive mastermind of Matt LaFleur to deploy them. Their biggest weapons are Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed; all three can fly and are young. Another young receiver with immense potential and some fantasy hype is Dontayvion Wicks. If Willis can get them the ball, they have the potential to cause headaches for the slower Tennessee secondary, who like to get physical. The Packers also have Josh Jacobs, one of the league’s best running backs. He’s a premier dual-threat weapon that could expose Tennessee’s linebackers and safeties. The Packers’ skill players are among the youngest in the league, with none holding more than three years of experience.
The Titans will counter the Packers’ weapons with a stingy secondary that features the ever-reliable Roger McCreary and a growing starter in Chidobe Awuzie. L’Jarius Sneed has played in both contests despite being on a load management plan thus far. PFF takes a dim view of Sneed, giving him an overall score of 37.8, which is good for 95th out of 96 graded cornerbacks. The safeties are a mixed bag, with new boys Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams struggling or injured. Amani Hooker has been, as advertised, leading the team in pass breakups. Late offseason addition linebacker Ernest Jones has ascended to the top of the depth chart this week. He and Kenneth Murray lead the team in tackles. It will be imperative for Dennard Wilson’s men to be attuned to the Packers’ immense bag of tricks in the run game if Willis does start as projected.
Titans Offense vs. Packers Defense
Another week, another confounding backbreaking mistake committed by the supposed franchise passer. Head coach Brian Callahan is all of us viscerally reacting to the stupefying audacity of Levis. Horrendous mistakes aside, the offense is wholly inconsistent, much like their quarterback. Tennessee’s travails continue as the Packers’ talented defense comes to town to wreak havoc on a beleaguered unit and coaching staff. Can the Titans find any consistency against an inconsistent stop unit?
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
If the Packers’ defensive front needed a get-right game, boy, do they ever get one in Tennessee’s dire offensive line. Rookie left tackle JC Latham improved from his first action and put up a solid performance in week two. Left guard Peter Skoronski is finding his footing, but he had a below-average game by his standards. Where Green Bay can find joy is on the right side against Nicholas Petit-Frere. He allowed a whopping 13 pressures against the Jets last week. If defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has his druthers, he must line up all his firepower against NPF and Dillon Radunz. Green Bay must force them to prove they are capable of being NFL-caliber linemen. No wonder Levis tends to float towards the left side and be in less-pressure situations. Bill Callahan has his work cut out to improve a flagging unit into a serviceable line.
The Packers feature a double interior that isn’t graded highly by PFF metrics so Tennessee could get some relief against Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton. Preston Smith and Rashan Gary must be better for Green Bay so they don’t get exploited by Tennessee’s consistently good run game. Devonte Wyatt will play an essential role as a rotational piece. If Green Bay can put any pressure on Levis, he will melt down and commit silly mistakes.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
Brian Callahan needs to consider expanding his playbook to be more centric toward his star receivers instead of relying on the running backs to make plays from the backfield. DeAndre Hopkins has been sparingly targeted through the season’s first two games. Levis has frequently targeted Calvin Ridley, as it was a chemistry question throughout the offseason. Treylon Burks hasn’t worked out as the franchise as they hoped, often resulting in a net negative on the field. He had a ghastly interception snatched away from him last week against a smaller defensive back. Tyler Boyd is a reliable veteran but had a costly drop on 4th and goal near the end zone during the final drive. Tony Pollard continues to get the lion’s share of the work, and Tyjae Spears should be on track to play Sunday after suffering an ankle injury late last week.
Green Bay has a formidable cornerback in Jaire Alexander, who can erase the opponent’s best receiver. Eric Stokes was a former first-round selection but has struggled during his career. He has rotated with sophomore Carrington Valentine. The Packers’ secondary scored a significant coup when they signed star safety Xavier McKinney, who has made an immediate impact. Keisean Nixon is more known for his return ability than cornerback play. Rookie safety Javon Bullard is second on the team in tackles. If Tennessee can exploit a weakness, the Packers’ linebackers have struggled so far. Quay Walker leads the team in tackles but has earned a below-average score from PFF.
Weather Report
After dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Francine on a limited basis, Sunday’s temperature skyrockets back to usual standards. The projected temperature is expected to be 92 degrees, with a precipitation chance of just 24%. Wind speed is predicted to be five miles per hour, blowing in a westerly direction with gusts up to 12 miles per hour. The good news for both teams looking to stay cool is that cloud cover is expected to be 89%. Tennessee has a weather advantage as it should be more adjusted to higher temperatures than Green Bay due to its location.
Odds and Ends
Tennessee leads the all-time series with a record of 8-6 over the Packers. Since the 2000 season, they have played seven times, and the Titans have won five times. The average scoreline has been in the favor of the Titans by a margin of 29 to 27. The Titans have won two of the past three matchups by an average margin of 16 points. Matt LaFleur is 1-1 against his former employers.
Uniforms
Titans
🚨BRITCHES REPORT 🚨: The @Titans will be decked out in light blue jerseys with white britches and all white socks in Sunday’s game vs the @packers. 👖 pic.twitter.com/LcibPlsB7Q
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 18, 2024
Referee Crew
Clay Martin is the referee for Sunday’s @Titans vs @packers game. 🦓
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 16, 2024
Martin’s crew is the youngest in the league, with just 38 seasons of NFL time. Unlike last week’s crew, who boasted decades of experience, this one has five officials with less than a decade of NFL service. The youngest is the rookie line judge, Brian Perry, who, like Brad Allen, got the call from the ACC. Back Judge Greg Wilson has the most service time in 17 seasons. Martin is one of two head referees who bring back the same staff from the year prior, so they know each other’s habits and idiosyncrasies. The more familiar a crew is with each other, the more games are better officiated.
This crew called one Tennessee game last season, resulting in a Titans victory. They called six penalties on the home team while calling three on the Falcons. Martin’s staff called 103 penalties on the home team while calling significantly less on the road team by accepting 80. The total for the away teams was the third-fewest in the league. He also called a Packers road game last season, calling four penalties for 32 yards.
Martin called the league’s third-most offensive holding penalties last season, with 41, so both offensive lines must be wary of his whistle.
Betting
According to BetMGM, the Titans are favored by two points, with the money line set at -120, while the Packers are +2 dogs with a -110 money line. This is the first game that Tennessee is favored, which might be a rarity this season.
The total is even 38 points, with the money line set at -110 for both teams. Tennessee has gone under once and met the total in the second game. The Packers went over in their first game against the Eagles while going under in the second game, sans Jordan Love. They are 1-1 as underdogs covering the spread, while the Titans are 2-0 ATS. Betting the under is a good bet, considering the defenses of both teams and the Packers quarterback situation.
Main Image: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
