The Tennessee Titans (1-1) and Oakland Raiders (1-1) warm up for the real thing with a preseason matchup Saturday. These two teams will meet again in Week 3 of the regular season -- just a month from now -- so it'll be interesting to see how they approach this exhibition.
Titans vs. Raiders 2016 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Tennessee faces Oakland in a preseason tuneup before they meet for the real thing in Week 3 of the regular season.
Teams that play in the preseason often meet each other again when the games count, but usually the turnaround isn't this quick. As a result, both teams are considering how to roll out their strategies and what to hide for a later date. Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave both suggested recently that they would save some tricks.
“We both understand what it is,” Del Rio said of how the two teams will approach the game, via Silver Black and Pride. “We’ll go in and we’re going to play our guys, you know we need the work. But obviously both sides, I’m sure, will hold a few things back. You’re not going to show everything you want to do in the regular season in a preseason game.”
That creates an interesting dynamic for both teams. They're trying to get as prepared for Week 1 as possible, and the third week of the preseason is typically when teams let starters play the longest. However, with the unique circumstances here, you won't necessarily see Derek Carr and Amari Cooper airing it out, for example. It'll be a balance in terms of giving players a taste of real competition without leaving too much of the playbook out in the open.
“It’s unique, especially to play them so early,” said Musgrave. “If we were playing them in November or December, we’d probably just brush it under the rug.
“The fact that it’s going to be so early in the season and in this game we really want to be our dress rehearsal and trying to give our players a feel for what the regular season might be like, we just gotta be smart in a lot of different areas.”
The same challenge goes for the Titans, who split their first two preseason games. Starting quarterback Marcus Mariota hasn't let a pass hit the ground yet in preseason, completing 14 of 15 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown and an interception in brief stints against Carolina and San Diego.
There are high hopes for Mariota entering his second year under center in Tennessee, but we haven't seen him use his mobility a ton given the desire to avoid letting him get hit. He'll probably get his longest look of the preseason against Oakland.
How to watch
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Spero Dedes, Dan Fouts
Online: NFL Game Pass
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