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The Tennessee Titans will renew their interconference rivalry with the Atlanta Falcons in a pre-season game today at 7 pm EDT.
Both teams are coming into the new season on the back of very different campaigns in 2020. The Tennessee Titans were AFC South division winners with a 11-5 record and ended their campaign with a loss in the Wild Card round to the Baltimore Ravens. The Atlanta Falcons, on the other hand, had an awful season, going 4-12, propping up the NFC South.
How will they fare in this game? There are a number of factors at play in this preseason matchup. Let's take a look.
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Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons
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On the coaching side, this is an interesting matchup as the Titans' former offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. His replacement in Nashville, Todd Downing, will be looking to get one over his predecessor.
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While coach Mike Vrabel has said that anyone traveling should be mentally prepared to start, the two mainstays of the offense, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, are not expected to start.
Darrynton Evans will start at running back, and Logan Woodside and Matt Barkley will see some action. First-rounder Caleb Farley has been ruled out by coach Vrabel as he's not ready for game action just yet.
Matt Ryan, who is slated to be the starter in the regular season at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is not expected to start the game, with AJ McCarron and Feleipe Franks expected to be given a chance to impress.
Kyle Pitts will look to impress at tight end, considering he was selected fourth overall in the draft, the highest a tight end has ever gone. Javian Hawkins and Caleb Huntley might also rack up starts.
Prediction
This game is difficult to predict because most of the starters will not feature. One interesting point that tilts the slate a bit towards the Atlanta Falcons is the mindset of their respective coaches.
Arthur Smith will be looking to put one over his previous employers and bring some positivity back to the Atlanta Falcons. Mike Vrabel, on the contrary, has never taken a pre-season game seriously and has a 2-6 record in these games, which could rub off on the Tennessee Titans.
What might make a significant difference in this game is that both quarterbacks are new to the Atlanta Falcons and may not be up to speed with the playbook. Conversely, Logan Woodside has already spent a couple of years with the Tennessee Titans and should be more comfortable leading them out.
Expect a Tennessee Titans win by a score of less than 10.
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