Weekly Preview: Saints vs. Titans

The New Orleans Saints will be taking on the Tennessee Titans to open up the 2023 regular season. The team is looking to bounce back after a lackluster 7-10 season last year. They have done a phenomenal job at rebuilding and retooling certain positions. Will this be enough to turn the season around? Only time will tell but for now, we’ll preview our Week 1 opponent, the Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee Titans preview

The Titans are led by their star, HB Derrick Henry, and DT Jeffery Simmons. Henry is coming off yet another phenomenal season. He rushed for over 1500 yards, 13 TDs, and averaged 96.1 yards a game. Henry is a fierce runner who uses his size and strength to bulldoze opponents. On the other side of the ball, Simmons is one of the best interior linemen in the league. The Saints will have to have a game plan to neutralize the 26-year-old.

The Titans also signed veteran WR Deandre Hopkins. While Hopkins is likely at the end of his career, he can still produce at a solid level. Seeing Saints CB Marshon Lattimore matched up against Hopkins will be very interesting.

I’ll also be very interested in what Treylon Burks can do. Burks was a first-round pick last year out of Arkansas. Burks dealt with injuries his rookie year, so it may have disappointed some fans. However, he was able to show flashes during the season. He may easily be the biggest wild card of the Titans.

The Titans biggest weakness has to be their offensive line. While they just went out and drafted Peter Skrononski, that offensive line may still be one of the worst in football. The Saints should look to apply heavy pressure on QB Ryan Tannehill. This will also likely lead to the team being able to hit the gaps and neutralize the running game.

New Orleans Saints Preview:

While I may be a bit biased, I think the New Orleans Saints may be one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL. This team has done a ton of retooling, and it could easily pay dividends right away. The big one is bringing in 4-time pro bowler QB Derek Carr. But I think a ton of NFL fans are letting the other revamped units go under the radar. The team completely cleaned the house at DT. They brought in Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shephard. They also drafted Bryan Bresee.

The HB room now has amazing depth after signing Jamaal Williams and drafting Kendre Miller. Lastly, this team now may have the deepest TE room in football. This group is led by Jawan Johnson and includes Jimmy Graham, Foster Moreau, and Taysom Hill.

Who will win the game?

The Titans are a rebuilding team. The Saints should win this match with ease. They have the definitively better QB, O-line, LBs, and secondary. They also have a deeper WR and HB room. If the Saints can neutralize Derrick Henry, they should absolutely win this game.

It would be anything but a disappointment if the Saints lost this game. The team needs to come out firing. I’d love to see the Saints establish the passing attack early. With Alvin Kamara suspended and the Titans lackluster secondary, this could be the way to win.

If the Titans want to win this game, they’re going to have to control the clock and have Derrick Henry dominate. Otherwise, I don’t see Ryan Tannehill being able to beat this defense.

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