Lions not overlooking struggling Titans: ‘We were in Tennessee’s shoes before’

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions are saying all the right things about not overlooking the struggling Tennessee Titans. Aaron Glenn, the team’s defensive coordinator, added context to those efforts, saying he can’t overlook a scrappy, hungry team because he remembers a time when the Lions were there, too.

“This is an opponent, in this league, records doesn’t matter. You can get your (expletive) kicked at any given time,” Glenn said. “We understand that, because we were in Tennessee’s shoes before. We were that team and we were out for blood every week. I know this team feels the same way.

“But we have to do a really job of understanding what task is at hand. Records doesn’t matter. We just have an opponent in front of us that we got to beat to get to the next level that we want to get to. Our guys understand that.”

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But this current version of the Titans (1-5) isn’t moving the ball much, whether through the air or on the ground. Tennessee ranks 31st in terms of net yards averaged per passing attempt (4.4), with better returns on the ground, but still in the bottom half of the league.

Second-year running back Tyjae Spears has been banged up, so it’s been veteran free-agent addition Tony Pollard leading the show in recent weeks, with the Titans averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Perhaps the biggest hindrance has been Tennessee’s inability to convert on third down. The Titans are converting on 31.1% of third-down tries, ranking 29th in the NFL. The offense has cracked the red zone only 16 times this season, a full eight times less than the Lions across the same amount of games.

The Lions are built well to handle this task, even with the amount of losses they have suffered due to injury on their front seven. They have proven to be stout against the run for the last couple of seasons. And while those returns have dipped in terms of league rankings, the Lions have done a great job stopping opposing running backs while getting better returns against the pass.

Tennessee has also spent the week selling players for future draft picks, with former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins sent to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pollard and wideout Tyler Boyd lead the Titans with 18 receptions, while Calvin Ridley has endured a slow start amid bad quarterback play. Will Levis has been injured in recent weeks, with the Titans turning to Mason Rudolph under center. Rudolph is expected to start at quarterback in Detroit, with first-year head coach Brian Callahan calling Levis a “long shot” to play this week.

“I understand the Cincinnati offense (where Callahan came from) fairly well,” Glenn said. “I think he’s put his own stamp on what he wants to do. Listen, I totally understand what that team is, because, again, we were Tennessee when we first got here. It’s going to take those guys to get to exactly where they want it. I don’t know if they got the personnel they want. But the thing is, I know they’re going to coach hard.”

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