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HomeSportsTennessee Titans face the Oakland Raiders at Nissan Stadium Sunday

Tennessee Titans face the Oakland Raiders at Nissan Stadium Sunday

Tennessee Titans (2-8) vs. Oakland Raiders (4-6)

Sunday, November 29th, 2015 | Noon CST
Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium | TV: CBS

Tennessee TitansNashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans (2-8) host the Oakland Raiders (4-6) this week at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143). Kickoff is scheduled for noon CST on Sunday, November 29th.

This week’s game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. Play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel and analyst Trent Green will call the action, and Jamie Erdahl will report from the sidelines.

Tennessee Titans running back Antonio Andrews (26) carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL football game at EverBank Field. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Tennessee Titans running back Antonio Andrews (26) carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL football game at EverBank Field. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, gameday host Rhett Bryan and sideline reporter Jonathan Hutton.

Tennessee Titans

Titans Look to End November on High Note
Tennessee TitansThe Titans hope to pick up their first home win of the season in this week’s post-Thanksgiving matchup with the Raiders. They will have 10 days to prepare after suffering a 19-13 defeat at the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday night.

The Titans led late in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars, only to see their efforts thwarted by a pair of Jaguars scores. The first, a five-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Julius Thomas, was preceded by a 63-yard punt return by Rashad Greene. Then, the Jaguars recovered a Titans fumble to help set up Jason Myers’ fourth field goal.

The Titans still had a chance to retake the lead. They took possession at their own 20-yard line with 2:19 on the clock and moved into Jacksonville territory. However, as time expired, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked by Andre Branch before he could deliver a final pass attempt to the end zone.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the field before the start of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the field before the start of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)

The Titans defense maintained its hot streak against the Jaguars, totaling four sacks and forcing a pair of turnovers. The unit has at least four sacks in three consecutive games and is tied for second place in the NFL with 31 sacks this season. Overall, the defense is allowing the sixth-fewest yards per game in the league (324.3) and the third-fewest passing yards per game (214.2).

Tennessee’s leader in sacks is veteran outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, whose seven total sacks in his first season with the team include at least one quarterback take down in each of the last four games. Since the start of the 1999 season, the only other player for the Titans with a four-game or longer sack streak was Jevon Kearse, who accomplished the feat three times (1999, 2000 and 2003).

Mariota’s numbers at Jacksonville included 22 completions on 35 attempts for 231 yards. He also ran for a 23-yard score–the first rushing touchdown of his career. As a rookie, the second-overall pick is 169-of-259 passing for 2,026 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.  His 96.1 passer rating leads the rookie class and ranks 12th among all quarterbacks. He needs 174 more passing yards to break Vince Young’s franchise rookie passing record of 2,199 yards.

Oakland Raiders

Carr Flourishing for Raiders in Second Year
Oakland Raiders HelmetFor the second consecutive week, the Titans will face one of the top quarterbacks from the 2014 NFL Draft. After going against Bortles in Jacksonville, the Tennessee defense will direct its attention in this game to Oakland’s Derek Carr, the 36th overall pick a year ago out of Fresno State. Carr is 216-of-341 passing for 2,565 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2015. His 99.4 passer rating ranks seventh in the league.

Last week, Carr and the Raiders visited the Detroit Lions. Like the Titans at Jacksonville, the Raiders took a 13-9 lead into the fourth quarter, only to fall short in the end. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s five-yard touchdown run helped Detroit to an 18-13 victory. Carr was 13-of-25 for 169 yards on the day.

The Raiders are in their first season under the direction of Jack Del Rio, the longtime head coach of the Jaguars (2003–2011). Del Rio spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos before taking the Oakland post. His current team is sitting in third place in the AFC West, behind the Broncos (8-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-5).

Annual Coat Drive

Prior to the Titans-Raiders game, fans are encouraged to participate in the team’s annual coat drive. New and used coats of all sizes can be dropped off at one of several collection sites around Nissan Stadium. All donated coats will be distributed to area homeless shelters and United Way Family Resource Centers.

Titans-Raiders Series at a Glance

  • Overall series (regular & postseason): Raiders lead 27-20
  • Regular season series: Raiders lead 23-20
  • Postseason series: Raiders lead 4-0
  • Total points: Titans 1,064, Raiders 1,133
  • Current streak: Three wins by Titans
  • Titans at home vs. Raiders: 15-11
  • Titans on the road vs. Raiders: 5-16 (including 0-4 in playoffs)
  • Longest winning streak by Titans: 4 (1961-62)
  • Longest losing streak by Titans: 9 (1966-73)
  • Titans vs. Raiders at Nissan Stadium: 4-1
  • Last time at Nissan Stadium: Raiders 13 at TITANS 38 (9-12-10)
  • Titans vs. Raiders at O.co Coliseum: 2-11
  • Last time at O.co Coliseum: TITANS 23 at Raiders 19 (11-24-13)
  • First time: OILERS 37 at Raiders 22 (9/11/60)
  • Mike Mularkey’s record vs. Raiders: 0-3
  • Jack Del Rio’s record vs. Titans: 8-9
  • Mike Mularkey’s record vs. Jack Del Rio: 0-1

A Titans Victory Would

  • Give the Titans four consecutive wins against the Raiders, dating back to 2007.
  • Improve Marcus Mariota’s starting record to 3-6.
  • Improve Mike Mularkey’s career record as a head coach to 17-34.

What to Look for this Week

WR Harry Douglas is scheduled to appear in his 100th career NFL game.

S Michael Griffin (867 career tackles) needs 10 tackles to match Al Smith (877) for fifth place on the team’s all-time tackles list.

QB Marcus Mariota needs four touchdown passes to become the third player in franchise history to pass for four touchdowns at least three times in a season, joining George Blanda (1960, 1961) and Warren Moon (1990).

QB Marcus Mariota could record the third 300-yard passing game of his career.

QB Marcus Mariota (2,026 yards passing) needs 174 passing yards to break Vince Young’s franchise rookie passing record of 2,199 yards.

OLB Brian Orakpo can record at least one sack for the fifth consecutive game. It would mark the first time in his career to accomplish the feat (2013). He would be the first Titans player to accomplish the feat since Jevon Kearse in 2003 (six games).

TE Delanie Walker (299 career receptions) needs one reception to reach 300 for his career.

TE Delanie Walker (53 receptions in 2015) needs 10 receptions to match his 2014 career high of 63 receptions.

TE Delanie Walker (176 receptions with the Titans) needs three receptions to surpass Erron Kinney (178) for fourth in franchise history among tight ends.

WR Kendall Wright (243 career receptions for 2,763 yards) needs nine receptions to pass Bo Scaife (251) for 13th place on the team’s all-time receptions list and needs 56 yards to pass Alvin Reed (2,818) for 15th place on the team’s all-time receiving yards list.

Titans-Raiders Series History

There have been 47 all-time regular season and postseason games between the Titans and Raiders organizations, two of the original eight members of the American Football League.

The rivalry has been filled with historically significant contests, including their very first matchup. On September 11th, 1960, the Houston Oilers defeated the Raiders 37-22 in the first game of either franchise’s existence.

The Raiders currently hold a 27-20 advantage in the series, including a 4-0 mark against the Titans in postseason play. They have met in an AFL Playoff Game (1969), an AFL Championship Game (1967), an AFC Wild Card Game (1980) and most recently the 2002 AFC Championship Game.

The Raiders have a considerable lead in the series at home. The Oilers/Titans have won only five of 20 games on the road against the Raiders, including a mark of 2-11 at O.co Coliseum.

The Titans have achieved their greatest margin of victory in a game against the Raiders (55-0 on 9/9/61) but also suffered their third-worst defeat against them (56-7 in a playoff game on 12/21/69).

They played in every season from 2001-05, including two meetings during the 2002 campaign, both of which resulted in Titans losses at Oakland — the first in the regular season and the second in the AFC Championship Game.

However, the Titans have won each of their last three battles with the Raiders. At Nissan Stadium, the Titans won 13-9 in 2007 and 38-13 in 2010. In the 2010 season opener, the Titans used two rushing touchdowns from Chris Johnson and two passing touchdowns from Vince Young in the win.

Most recently at O.co Coliseum on November 24th, 2013, the Titans earned a dramatic 23-19 victory after Ryan Fitzpatrick connected on a 10-yard touchdown pass with wide receiver Kendall Wright with only 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Titans-Raiders: The Last Meeting

Tennessee Titans 23 at Oakland Raiders 19
Sunday, November 24th, 2013
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA

1 2 3 4 Final
Tennessee Titans 3 3 7 10 23
Oakland Raiders 3 6 3 7 19

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendall Wright with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Titans to a 23-19 victory over the Raiders at O.co Coliseum.

The touchdown was the result of a 14-play, 80-yard drive that the Titans began with more than six minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter.

Fitzpatrick completed eight of 10 passes on the drive for 67 yards, including a pair of passes to rookie receiver Justin Hunter to convert third downs.

Then, on third-and-goal at the 10-yard line, he looked to Wright, who caught the pass short of the end zone but then lunged over the goal line.

For the game, Fitzpatrick completed 30 of 42 passes for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns without throwing an interception. Wright and Hunter were his primary targets for much of the afternoon, totaling six receptions each. Hunter had 109 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Wright had 103 yards and a score.

The Titans controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes and totaled 426 yards on offense. They were 10-of-18 on third down (56 percent), helping them overcome 10 penalties for 100 yards.

Tennessee Titans receiver Kendall Wright (13) celebrates after scoring on a 10-yard touchdown reception with 10 seconds left against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Titans defeated the Raiders 23-19. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Tennessee Titans receiver Kendall Wright (13) celebrates after scoring on a 10-yard touchdown reception with 10 seconds left against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Titans defeated the Raiders 23-19. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

There were six lead changes in the game, the first of which occurred on a 52-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski at the end of the Raiders’ first possession. It was the first of six field goal attempts on the day for Janikowski, of which he made four.

The Titans responded with a scoring march of their own to start the day. Fitzpatrick completed passes of 16 yards to Nate Washington and 13 yards to Hunter to convert third downs before the drive stalled. They settled for a 33-yard field goal by Rob Bironas.

Early in the second quarter, the Titans took their first lead, thanks to a big play from their defense. With the Raiders backed up at their own end of the field, linebacker Zach Brown stepped in front of a Matt McGloin pass to give the Titans the ball at the Oakland 11. Again, however, the Raiders defense kept the Titans out of the end zone, and Bironas booted a 22-yard field goal.

Later in the second quarter, the Raiders used two field goals to reclaim the lead. First, they took advantage of good field position to move into position for a 48-yard field goal. Later, McGloin found fullback Jamize Olawale for a 25-yard pass, keying a 10-play, 79-yard drive. Janikowski again was called upon and delivered, this time from 24 yards to make the score 9-6 in Oakland’s favor.

The Titans averted disaster on the ensuing series. With less than 20 seconds on the clock, Brett Kern’s punt was blocked by Jeremy Stewart. But after a quick completion to Rod Streater, Janikowski missed a 32-yard attempt.

The Titans had the ball only four times in the second half but scored on three of them. A quick—yet effective—effort gave the Titans their first touchdown of the game early in the third quarter. After receiving the opening kickoff of the half, Fitzpatrick connected with Wright for 23 yards. Then, on third-and-two from their own 46-yard line, Fitzpatrick found Hunter, who juked a pair of defenders and raced to the end zone for a 54-yard score and a 13-9 advantage.

Late in the third quarter, after a second consecutive missed field goal, the Raiders again drove into scoring territory. Janikowski’s 42-yarder trimmed the Titans’ lead to 13-12.

Tennessee then began a methodical drive that spanned from 1:41 on the clock in the third quarter to the 8:52 mark in the fourth quarter. After 75 yards and 15 plays, none of which gained more than 12 yards, Bironas’ 23-yard field goal on the 16th play of the drive put the Titans up 16-12.

The Raiders stormed back by moving 75 yards on only five plays. McGloin, who was 19-of-32 for 260 yards in the game, connected with fullback Marcel Reese for a 27-yard score, and Oakland moved ahead 19-16 with 6:10 on the clock.

But that only set the stage for Fitzpatrick and the Titans to move into position for Wright’s dramatic, game-winning reception.

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