When we last saw the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans face off, it was October 18, 2021 — Week 6 of the season. Tennessee pulled off a thrilling 34-31 comeback win, scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and pointing running back Derrick Henry at Buffalo’s nickel-heavy (and run-light) defense as if Henry was the biggest possible power tool — which, of course, he was. Henry led the way for the Titans as he had the two seasons before, and as he did until his season was halved by injury. He ran 20 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-decider with 3:05 remining.
While the Bills are well aware of what Henry can do to them when healthy, it might not be the main story as these two teams get ready for their Monday Night Football matchup (7:15 EST, Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium, ESPN/ESPN2). Henry has not yet looked like the back he was before missing half the 2021 season with a foot injury. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is coming off a season in which he led the league in third-down interceptions with 11. Tennessee’s receiver corps is very much in flux after the A.J. Brown trade, and a defense that used to be one of the NFL’s best has some questions marks in both pressure and coverage.
As for the Bills, everybody’s chic Super Bowl LVII pick lived up to the hype and then some in their 31-10 outright thrashing of the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Buffalo’s defense made Matthew Stafford’s crew look like a bad Division II offense, and Buffalo’s offense caused coverage busts that Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey was eager to discuss after the fact.
So, we could see two very different teams in this battle of AFC titans in the Week 6 rematch. Here are seven under-the-radar players who must step up and succeed if their team is to win.