Following a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night (31-28 in overtime), the Green Bay Packers host the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field in the first-ever Thursday Night Football affair between both teams.
Green Bay improved to 4-6 with that victory, while the Titans are first in the AFC South, with a record of 6-3 thanks to a 17-10 triumph over the Denver Broncos.
Match preview
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Heading into Week 10 of the NFL regular season, many were beginning to wonder what it would take for the Packers to elevate their game to the level we saw in 2021, and last Sunday, we may have got our answer.
The thought of losing to one of their biggest rivals in Dallas, in what was also the return of former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, seemed to be all the motivation they needed as the Cheeseheads' offence came to life, erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win in overtime.
It was only the third time this year that Matt LaFleur saw his offensive unit put up over 400 total yards, though the secondary also played a big part in the victory with two interceptions and some big knockdowns in overtime when Dak Prescott and the Cowboys were marching into field goal range.
The Green Bay running attack, ranked seventh in the league, did a much better job at finding those open holes, racking up 207 yards between three players on 39 carries.
Under LaFleur, the Packers have played their best when all eyes are on them, going 10-1 in prime-time outings since the ex-Titans offensive coordinator took charge of this team in 2019, with a .900 winning percentage since then, the highest in the NFL over that span.
While their 4-6 record to this point of the season has been underwhelming, the Packers' playoff hopes are not over by any stretch, as they are second in the NFC North, and just a game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final postseason berth.
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Ground and pound has been the Titans' motto all season, with the AFC South leaders doing just enough to defeat the Broncos last weekend, the sixth win for them in their last seven encounters.
Mike Vrabel's team are by no means blowing away their competition, but they are doing what needs to be done, scoring 20 points or fewer on six occasions this year and conceding under 20 in five of their last six games.
They have done a great job at getting to opposing QBs all year long, sacking Russell Wilson six times last Sunday, currently fourth in the NFL in that category (29).
Since the end of October, the defence has had to be sharp in the early going as the Titans have been shut out in the opening quarter of their last three contests.
All season long, Tennessee have been missing the presence of a big-play receiver like AJ Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL draft, with the Titans currently ranked 31st regarding passing this year.
The Titans have played their NFC opponents well over the past couple of seasons, losing only three of their last 11 contests against the opposite conference since 2020, though one of those defeats came to the Packers at Lambeau nearly two years ago (40-14).
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Team News
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Aaron Rodgers may have found his new go-to receiver to replace Davante Adams as the Packers QB was 14/20 for 224 yards and three touchdowns versus Dallas, with Christian Watson finding the end zone on each of those scores, while Aaron Jones had 24 carries for 138 yards and a TD.
Jonathan Ford had a pair of interceptions in that victory, Kenny Clark recorded his third sack of the year, Adrian Amos led them in tackles (eight) and collected his first sack of 2022, while Mason Crosby kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime.
Amari Rodgers missed their last game with a sore hamstring, Rasul Douglas is dealing with a calf strain, Romeo Doubs has a sprained ankle and De'Vondre Campbell remains out with a knee injury.
After running for 100-plus yards in five consecutive contests, the Titans' Derrick Henry was held in check against the Broncos with 53 yards on 19 carries, while Ryan Tannehill replaced Malik Willis at quarterback, hitting Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a pair of touchdowns.
Denico Autry has seven sacks to lead Tennessee in 2022, Robert Woods is first on the team in the receiving department with 24 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown, while Terrance Mitchell had his first interception of the season last weekend.
Amani Hooker is dealing with a sore shoulder but could be ready to return, Jeffrey Simmons sat out of their game on Sunday because of an ankle sprain, Ben Jones missed practice on Monday due to concussion protocol and Bud Dupree has a hip injury.
Head To Head
Tennessee have a 7-6 edge over Green Bay in the season series since moving from Houston to Nashville, with the winning team posting 40-plus points in four of the last five meetings.
The last time these teams faced off was in 2020 when Rodgers threw three TD passes to Davante Adams, AJ Dillon ran for a pair of scores and Jonnu Smith caught a 12-yard touchdown throw by Tannehill in a 40-14 loss for the Titans.
In the 13 games between Tennessee and Green Bay, the most competitive encounter was in 2008 when Rob Bironas kicked four field goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as the Titans edged the Packers 19-16.
We say: Green Bay Packers 21-19 Tennessee Titans
Both of these teams have dependable backs who can handle a heavy workload, while neither side have shown to be a particularly explosive offence in 2022.
Green Bay should be able to key on Henry, given how poor the Titans are in the passing game, while last week Rodgers looked a lot more like the 2021 league MVP, and we expect him to have another solid outing on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
