NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans (4-3) return to Nissan Stadium Sunday after their bye week to host the Baltimore Ravens (4-4), their second-consecutive match-up with an AFC North team.
And, when they do, the plan is to have rookie wide receiver Corey Davis ready to roll.
Davis has been unavailable for the last five games because of a nagging issue with his hamstring that was agitated in a 37-16 divisional road win against the Jacksonville Jagars. But the Western Michigan University product participated in Monday’s practice and was full-go on Wednesday. If everything goes accordingly, Davis will return to a starting role in Tennessee’s offense Sunday against Baltimore.
“He did some really good things today, especially in our last period, where we have a competitive third down period,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said of Davis. “He did some good things. I am pleased with him.”
The Titans offense has been lackluster this season and the team expects production to improve when the fifth-overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft returns to the field. Tennessee ranks 18th (326.4) in net yards per game on offense and 13th (22.6) in points per game but 27th (1,413) in net passing yards and 26th (201.9) in net passing yards per game.
VIDEO: #Titans WR @TheCDavis84 going through warm-ups today. Full participant at practice pic.twitter.com/P5Y4TtC1fO
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) November 1, 2017
In the two contests he has played in this season versus Jacksonville and the Oakland Raiders, Davis has seven catches on 13 targets and 73 yards receiving. Six of those catches racked up 69 yards in his NFL debut.
Davis’s 52 career touchdowns in college ranks him second in the history of the NCAA. At WMU, Davis set an FBS record with 5,285 career receiving yards.
According to ESPN’s FPI, the Titans sit in a very tenuous position atop the AFC South. Tennessee’s chance to win the division (24%) is well behind the Jags (63%), by those measurements despite holding the tie-breaker over Jacksonville from their Sept. 17 victory. The Titans’ playoff odds also rank sixth in the AFC, according to ESPN, narrowly ahead of the Ravens.
The Titans will hope to come out of the bye week refreshed, healthier and with a reinvigorated passing game spurred on by Davis’s return. They will need it with three AFC South games left on their schedule and with the knowledge from last season that a single slip-up against those rivals in such a tightly contested division are usually the difference in a trip to the playoffs or cleaning your lockers out at regular season’s end.
“This is the turnaround right here,” said Davis on Monday. “I feel it”
OTHER NEWS & NOTES:
- Flacco’s Back – Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been cleared to start Sunday against the Titans after sustaining a concussion six days ago in Miami. According to Jamison Hensley, NFL Nation Ravens reporter for ESPN.com, Flacco participated fully in practice and “taking his usual reps.”
- Injury Report – Tight end Delanie Walker (ankle) and guard Quinton Spain (toe) did not practice Wednesday. Safety Johnathan Cyprien (hamstring) was a full participant.
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