The stakes get a little higher when the Titans host the Buffalo Bills this week on Monday Night Football. The Bills probably haven’t forgotten the 42-16 smackdown the Titans put on them last year in a rare Tuesday night game. The game had been rescheduled due to the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak.

First down

Contain Josh Allen. This won’t be an easy task, as Allen has mobility, a rifle arm and reminds many of John Elway. Allen can be a one-man wrecking crew because he is so strong and so mobile. The Titans did a good job of keep him in the pocket in their 2020 meeting. Using some of that same formula would be a good idea again Monday night.

Second down

Control the game with Derrick Henry. Last year’s game became infamous because of Derrick Henry’s stiff arm of Josh Norman. The play didn’t even count due to a penalty, and Norman is long gone from Buffalo. But the Titans still need to give the Bills a healthy dose of Henry to control the clock and the game and keep Allen & Co. off the field as much as possible.

Third down

Unleash Harold Landry. It has taken four years, but Harold Landry is finally fulfilling the expectations the Titans had for him as a second-round pick in 2018. Landry is leading the NFL in quarterback pressures with 4.5 in five games. The Titans need all the pass rush they can get, because that rush can help a defense that has been shaky at times and prone to give up big plays.

Fourth down

Protect Ryan Tannehill. Twenty sacks. Yes, you read that right. The Titans have given up 20 sacks of Tannehill in five games after giving up only 25 all last year. Right now, Tannehill is on pace to be sacked 68 times this season. If the Titans don’t do a better job in protection, the guess is that Tannehill, as tough as he is, won’t last long enough to be sacked 68 times.

-- Terry McCormick