The Monday night game between the Titans and the Bills will be shown at 7 p.m. on RDS and RDS.ca.
PRE-MATCH
Titans tackle Jeffery Simmons practiced regularly against left guard Rodger Saffold after he was drafted by Tennessee in 2019.
Simmons will finally get his first chance to face Saffold in a game when the Titans visit the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
“I can’t wait to go up against him,” Simmons admitted. We fought some good battles here in training, but everyone knows I’m not at my best in training. We can apply pressure, do all that, but we can’t join the quarterback in practice… Personally, I know that I’m more intense in a game situation. »
This isn’t the first time Saffold will face former teammates. He began his career with the Los Angeles Rams and triumphed on their field last year with the Titans. Saffold started this season with the Bills and helped defeat the defending Super Bowl champions.
Saffold said it will be very strange to face the team with which he was left guard for the past three seasons.
“At the end of the day, I have a job to do,” Saffold said. You know, that’s why we’re here, because we have expertise. And we will always be there for each other after the whistle signals the end of the game. »
The Bills (1-0) and the Titans (0-1) are not in the same section. Since they will face each other for a fifth consecutive season, it is obvious that they know each other as much as two teams from the same section who face each other twice per campaign. And the emotions are often more intense between two teams who know each other well, enhancing the quality of the show.
The Titans have won the last two games in Nashville, with Simmons playing a key role in stopping quarterback Josh Allen on fourth down and the goals to confirm the victory for the Tennessee club. The Titans went on to successfully defend their title as the AFC Southern Division champions, earning the All-American favorites title. The Bills were the third seed then.
Allen has faced the Titans every year since joining the NFL, and he believes that factor helps his preparation. Allen also pointed out that the Titans have one of the NFL’s best coaches in Mike Vrabel, who was named the NFL’s Most Outstanding Head Coach by The Associated Press.
“He does things really well,” Allen said. And you know, he’s going to make sure they’re really fired up for this game. We will have to be ready to face them, and to respond firmly. »
Because a certain animosity has developed between the two teams.
The Titans pummeled the Bills in 2020 in a rare Tuesday night game, which happened after the Tennessee roster became the first in the NFL to suffer a COVID-19 outbreak. . The Titans then took advantage of Simmons’ key play a year ago.
Monday night’s game will be the Bills’ first at home this season. Bills safety Micah Hyde said they want to win this game to remind the NFL that this is their stronghold.
“It’s going to be a big game for them too,” Hyde said. And we’re going to jump out there, play our best and get our first home win. »
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill doesn’t see it that way, and he said he knows the Bills well, having previously led the offense of their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins. Moreover, this will be his fourth start with the Titans against the Bills, and he did not hide that the recipe for success is very simple.
“You have to run the plays and get them done,” Tannehill simply summed up.
