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Titans and Marcus Mariota Face Challenge Hosting Oakland Raiders and Amari Cooper

By Justin Phillips

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The Tennessee Titans enter the game hosting Oakland looking for a win and with Marcus Mariota leading the way still have a chance to make the playoffs, but need to put together a winning streak. Oakland visits Tennessee with a big play Wide Receiver in Amari Cooper.

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On Sunday when the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans meet, it will be a game of two teams that could have had better records this season. The Raiders are giving up 25 points per game, the Titans, 23 points per game this season. The Offensive numbers for this one could be close, depending on performance. Oakland is averaging 24 points per game, Tennessee comes into the contest averaging 18 points per game on Offense, but this number could be higher if Quarterback Marcus Mariota had not missed close to a month due to injury. The season has been tough to watch for fans of the former Oregon Ducks Quarterback.

The funny thing is, at 4-8 on the year, the team still has an outside chance at making the Playoffs. If a few plays went the Tennessee Titan’s way they could be looking at 6-6 or better. If Mariota was healthy for the entire season and there was not a coaching change the team could be in a better position. However, if there is anything to learn from 2015 it is that the National Football League has it’s growing pains for any young quarterback. Tennessee clearly needs help in big areas across the board including on the Offensive Line.

According to Bleacher Report, Tennessee Titans Wide Receivers have caught just over 50 percent of Marcus Mariota’s passes this season, the O-Line has given up 24 sacks on their young quarterback, two that could have led to wins against Indianapolis and last weekend on the final play of the game against Jacksonville. On Sunday, The Titans welcome the Oakland Raiders to Nissan Stadium. The Raiders come in with a passing threat averaging over 260 yards per game.

Wide Receiver Amari Cooper will look to get back on track against Tennessee. On the season he has 51 receptions for 736 yards and 4 touchdowns. Over the last few games he has had a Rookie case of dropped passes. Look for Cooper to be a standout on Sunday. Both Tennessee and Oakland don’t really rely on the run game, but more use it as a go to when needed. They average under 100 yards per game on the ground. This game will be won through the air and I would take Mariota’s arm over anyone else in this situation. I expect it to be close, but am looking for the Titans to pull off the win.

Next: Byron Marshall Will Not Return For 2016

Oakland and Tennessee kickoff just after 10am Pacific Time on CBS.

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