Broncos vs. Titans: Behind Enemy Lines with Titan Sized

As the Denver Broncos welcome the Tennessee Titans to the Mile High City, I chat with Michael Moraitis from FanSided’s Titan Sized to get his takes.

The Denver Broncos get a chance to face off against a rare opponent as the team faces off against their second AFC South opponent of the 2019 season, the Tennessee Titans. Both teams have faced off 41 times in franchise history. The Titans own a 23-17-1 advantage.

Most of the Titans wins in their history came when they were originally the Houston Oilers. Denver, however, has won four of the last six meetings since the team moved to Tennessee and became the Titans in 1999.

This, I believe will be a very entertaining matchup for both teams as the Broncos and Titans both have strong defenses. I foresee this being a defensive battle where the offense will need to get going to secure the win.

It remains to be seen when these two teams will face off again, but I am sure Broncos Country fans and Titans fans are excited for this matchup.

With the two teams squaring off on Sunday, I crossed enemy lines to chat with Michael Moraitis from FanSided’s own Titan Sized. He and I sat down to discuss all that is going on with this game.

PO: The Titans have been in the middle of the road since their dominating win over the Browns. Is the lack of offense a concern for the team or do you believe they will turn it around?

TS: I think the Titans have the pieces in place to turn it around, yes. However, that all depends on the offensive line not playing as atrocious as it has through five games. There’s a lot of talent upfront offensively, so I see that eventually working itself out.

On top of that, Marcus Mariota hasn’t played badly for the most part, the Titans have a slew of weapons in the passing game, and running back Derrick Henry is as talented at his position as they come. The Titans just need to block.

PO: The Titans do have a solid defense, allowing on average of 15 points a game, which is fifth best in the NFL. What has helped with the success of the defense?

TS: The Titans’ pass-rush is much-improved, mostly because of Cameron Wake and Harold Landry. Tennessee got a combined total of two sacks from their starting edge rushers last season, and have already gotten 5.5 from Landry and Wake.

Wake was out last week, so he’s a player to monitor for Week 6. The Titans have also seen an improvement in their rush defense, outside of a few big plays in Week 2 and Week 3. As for the secondary, I believe it’s one of the best in the NFL. Now, if only the offense could sustain drives consistently, it would be even better.

PO: The Titans have brought in Cody Parkey to handle the kicking duties. How do you believe he will do in a Titans uniform?

TS: Couldn’t do any worse than Cairo Santos, who missed a huge field goal in Week 2 against the Colts, and four more on Sunday against the Bills. The Titans just have to weather the storm for three more games until Ryan Succop is eligible to return in Week 9.

PO: The Broncos and Titans square off in what could be a defensive battle. What will be the key to getting the win on Sunday?

TS: The Titans have to block someone, especially Von Miller. I can only imagine how badly this game would have gone if both Miller AND Bradley Chubb were playing. Titans are lucky that Chubb won’t be suiting up.

But really, it all comes down to blocking. If the Titans can block, they can sustain drives and score points, and the defense won’t get completely winded and can play at an elite level for 60 minutes. The Titans are 8-0 in the Mike Vrabel era when scoring 22 points or more, but as you mentioned, the Titans aren’t allowing that many points per game, so it shouldn’t even take that many points to win on a regular basis.

PO: Is there any Titans player that not a lot of fans know about that can be an X-Factor for Sunday?

TS: That guy would be rookie wide receiver, A.J. Brown. This guy is a specimen — a big, physical receiver who has great hands and underrated wheels. He’s made three plays of 40 yards or more already this season, two of which were pure individual effort.

The Broncos have to make sure they don’t let him get the ball in space, or else he could make a house call or gain a big chunk of yardage all on his own. He’s been the biggest catalyst for the Titans on offense in 2019.

Thank You Michael for taking the time to chat with me. If you want to see his interview with me, check out TitanSized.com for that interview.