NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans (9-4) play their final home game of the 2020 regular season this week as they welcome the Detroit Lions (5-8) to Nissan Stadium. Kickoff for the 13th all-time meeting between the organizations is scheduled for noon CST on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Ticket sales for the contest were limited to 21 percent of the Nissan Stadium’s normal capacity following current Center for Disease Control guidelines. Detailed information on the team’s Safe Stadium Plan can be found at tennesseetitans.com/safestadium.
THE BROADCAST
This week’s contest will be regionally televised on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes and analyst Adam Archuleta.
Fans can livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android) and on TennesseeTitans.com mobile web. Restrictions apply. For more information and additional options visit TennesseeTitans.com or
NFL.com/ways-to-watch.
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 Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells, and gameday hosts Rhett Bryan and Jonathan Hutton.
TITANS LOOK TO EARN 10TH WIN, PROTECT DIVISION LEAD
Last week the Titans traveled to Jacksonville to meet the division rival Jaguars. Derrick Henry rushed for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns to power the Titans to a 31-10 victory.
With his performance at Jacksonville, Henry became the first player in NFL history to record four career games with at least 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He goes into Week 15 leading the NFL with 1,532 rushing yards, which is eight yards shy of the 1,540 yards he had in 2019 to win the league’s rushing crown.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was an efficient 19-of-24 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. With three games remaining, his 28 touchdown passes in 2020 are the most of his career and rank third in team annals.
With nine victories in 13 games, Tennessee is guaranteed of its fifth consecutive winning season. A 10th win this week would assure the club of its highest total since a 13-3 finish in 2008.
A win against Detroit also could be crucial for the Titans in their quest for their first AFC South title since 2008. The Titans and Indianapolis Colts are tied at 9-4, but the Titans currently own the tiebreaker based on division record. The Titans are 4-1 against the division, while the Colts are 2-2.
The Titans’ final two regular season games will be at Green Bay (Dec. 27 on Sunday Night Football) and at Houston (Jan. 3). Meanwhile, the Colts will host the Texans on Sunday, then finish at Pittsburgh (Dec. 27) and at home against Jacksonville (Jan. 3).
The Titans and Colts are two of the nine AFC teams with at least seven wins. Each conference’s playoff field will include four division winners and three wild cards.
THE LIONS
The Lions find themselves in transition after parting ways with general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia on Nov. 28. On the same day, Darrell Bevell was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach. Bevell, who joined the Lions in 2019, formerly served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2011 to 2017.
The first two games with Bevell at the helm resulted in a Lions win at Chicago in Week 13 followed by last week’s 31-24 defeat to the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has passed for 3,522 yards and 22 touchdowns 2020, his 12th NFL campaign. The former first-overall draft pick has more passing yards (44,547) in his first 162 career starts than any other player in NFL history.