Tennessee Titans: 3 Bold predictions vs. Buccaneers, Week 8

The Tennessee Titans looked rejuvenated by a quarterback change last week but will that continue in Week 8 against the Buccaneers in Nashville?

Prior to last week and a win against the Chargers, watching the Tennessee Titans has been a frustrating exercise in 2019. They’ve continually shown that they have enough talent to win on both sides of then haven’t been executing on that talent. A change from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, though, may have been just what this team needed to get on the right track.

Tannehill made his first start for the Titans last week against LA and the difference was noticeable. The former Dolphin was far more inclined to take chances and shots down the field, which ignited the offense as a whole. Paired with another strong defensive effort from a unit that has quietly been one of the best in the league this year, that was enough to get the win — despite some late-game blunders from head coach Mike Vrabel.

Now it’s on to Week 8 as the Titans welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town. And while we don’t get the 2015 draft battle between Mariota and Jameis Winston, we should be treated to an entertaining football game. And with that in mind, let’s get into three bold predictions for the Titans in this matchup from Nissan Stadium.

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3. Simmons steps up with first-career multi-sack game

Titans first-round pick Jeffery Simmons made his relatively shocking debut last week after being activated from IR following tearing his ACL in February while training for the combine. Not only did the rookie make a shockingly fast return to the active roster, though, he wasted no time making an impact, registering four tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss against LA.

Simmons looked every bit worth a first-round pick last week and that’s not going to change against the Bucs. Though Tampa does have a decent interior offensive line and their bigger issues are at tackle, the rookie won’t care. He’ll use his freakish athletic ability and size-strength-explosiveness combo to get into the backfield and bring down Winston at least twice for his first multi-sack game of his career.

2. Titans pick off Winston three times

At times this season, Jameis Winston has looked phenomenal in Bruce Arians’ offense. Then there have been other times where he’s made head-scratching throws on a far too consistent basis and crippled the Buccaneers offense. But really, that’s who he is in year five of his NFL career. Now, up against a Titans defense that, again, has been playing incredibly well this season, not giving up more than 20 points to any opponent, Winston will not have a good time out there.

Much of what the Titans like to do in the secondary is play zone coverage. For his career, Winston has struggled mightily to read zones successfully, too often forcing the ball into windows that aren’t there. When you then factor in that Tennessee has the guys up front to pressure the Tampa quarterback, Winston will end the day with three interceptions and an overall bad day on the road.

1. Tannehill throws for 350 yards, 3 touchdowns

Was Ryan Tannehill perfect in his first start for the Titans? No, he missed some throws, tossed a pick and didn’t remind anyone of Aaron Rodgers. But he was miles better for the offense than Mariota had been this year, taking shots down the field and getting everyone involved, ultimately ending the day with 312 passing yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be even better against Tampa in Week 8, though.

The Buccaneers pass defense has been among the worst in the NFL this season giving up a staggering 320.7 yards per game on the year. Tannehill may make a mistake or two, but will ultimately take advantage of that, finding Corey Davis and A.J. Brown for a touchdown apiece and ending his second start for Tennessee with 350 yards passing, three touchdowns and a win that brings the Titans to 4-4 on the campaign.