Tennessee Titans face reviving Buffalo Bills in Week 7 – NFL Preview
Buffalo Bills are aiming high as their defence has started to show its true class. They are now looking forward to Week 7 as they host Tennessee Titans on Sunday, October, 21, 2012, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, New York.
After a haphazard start to the season, both Titans and Bills are now getting more consistent.
Bills (3-3) are coming off an astounding 19-16 victory against Arizona Cardinals. The defence played a major role in getting the victory after losing two games in a row.
The game on Sunday will mark return of defensive end Shawne Merriman into the Bills’ roster. Merriman was released before the start of this season.
Bills are currently without two of their starting defensive ends Mark Anderson and Spencer Johnson. Both players have not played in the last two games.
Bills defence gave away 332 yards last week, a considerably lower number as compared to the record-breaking 1,201 yards they allowed in Week 4 and 5 combined.
Safety Jairus Byrd believes the team has finally tuned up to get maximum output from new players like defensive end Mario Williams. He said:
"We were away from the distractions and it was just us here in Arizona. It was a chance for us to soul search, get corrected what we needed to get corrected without the distractions of being at home. It was great for us mentally."
Titans (2-4) will start the game with their backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after starting quarterback Jake Locker was ruled out for Week 7 despite returning to practice field.
Hasselbeck has been impressive in the three games he has started this season. However, Titans will rely more heavily on their revitalised running game.
Although Titans are ranked last in the league for the running yards covered, their running back Chris Johnson had a good game last week, finishing with 91 yards.
The Titans have the benefit of playing against a team that has been quite poor in rushing defence. Talking about running game, Titans head coach Mike Munchak said:
“We need to be able to run the ball consistently week in and week out no matter who we play. Buffalo, obviously, statistically has given up some plays. But again, they’re very similar to us in the fact that the games they’ve lost, they’ve lost big.”
Bills have given away a massive 740 rushing yards along with seven touchdowns in their previous three games.
When it comes to Bills offence, running game is the heartbeat of the team, as they play with two quality running backs. Both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson have returned to full fitness and will share snaps between each other.
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