Lions have more motivation for victory than Titans
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans still are saying all the right things about wanting to win and playing hard. The Detroit Lions just might have more motivation.
If the Lions (6-9) beat the Titans on Sunday in their first visit to Tennessee, they earn a two-game improvement over last season’s 5-11 mark in coach Steve Mariucci’s first year. Defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson promises that is enough.
“It’s not going to be tough to be more focused because we’re out of the playoff mix,” Wilkinson said. “We have a lot of `What ifs’ this season, but all we can control is to do what we can this week against the Titans to get win No. 7.”
For the Titans (4-11), this game mercifully ends a once hopeful season that disappeared under an avalanche of injuries that knocked 12 players out for the year. That doesn’t count three other starters who sat out at least five games each.
Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck is among those counting the days until the season finale.
“Let’s just go ahead and get with it. Hopefully, we can put a good game together on Sunday to get a win. That’s what I want is a win,” Bulluck said.
A loss might do the Titans more good.
Sure, they would finish with a six-game skid that would be their longest ever under coach Jeff Fisher. But if Cleveland (3-12) pulls out a victory at Houston (7-8), Tennessee could move up a slot to the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft in April.
This franchise hasn’t drafted that high since taking Steve McNair with the third overall pick in 1995. Still, the Titans say a victory provides a better start to the offseason.
“We don’t spend the whole offseason sulking because we hadn’t won the last six or seven games,” Titans right guard Benji Olson said. “It helps team morale if we can finish the season with a win under our belts. It’s a good feeling having a win to end the year, which helps players during the offseason toward coming back strong to start next season.”
Detroit’s timing couldn’t be better. The Lions come in as favorites because the Titans are 1-6 at home this season, and fans have stayed away by the thousands over the past two games, including on Christmas night when Denver routed Tennessee 37-16.
The Lions got a lucky break last week when an official waved off an apparent Bears touchdown in a 19-13 victory over Chicago.
The Titans might get back tackle Albert Haynesworth for the first time since Nov. 14 from a dislocated elbow, but his return won’t salvage a defense still missing five starters.
Tennessee has given up at least 31 points a game in this skid, a figure that gives hope even to a Detroit offense ranked 27th with only 283.9 yards per game. But the Lions have running back Kevin Jones, the rookie who has 753 yards rushing in the last six weeks alone.
“He is doing a great job,” Fisher said. “Some of the runs he has had over the last couple of weeks were very, very impressive. He is going to be a very good back in this league.”
Billy Volek missed the chance to become the first NFL quarterback to post three straight games of 400 yards passing or more when Denver sacked him five times. With the Titans just trying to find five linemen healthy enough to take the field, Volek might get hit even more Sunday.
Detroit’s defensive line has 30 1/2 of the Lions’ 38 sacks, and James Hall needs only a half-sack to become the team’s first lineman with 12 since Robert Porcher had 15 in 1999. But Mariucci wouldn’t say if his line will be excited to take on a depleted Titans offensive unit.
“We are not in the playoffs either. We are going to finish as strong as we can, just like Tennessee will. We have had our share of injuries, too, and I understand Tennessee’s situation. It has been tough,” Mariucci said.
“What I do see is Tennessee is playing very hard. … It shows on film and I would like to think that we are playing hard, too. It becomes an important game for both teams.”
If nobody else.