Panthers vs. Titans 2017: Start time, TV channel, and how to watch online

The teams have competed in joint practices this week, but who will come out on top Saturday?

Aug 19, 2017, 2:00 PM UTC

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NFL: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Week 2 of the NFL preseason continues Saturday with the Carolina Panthers hitting the road to take on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. The two teams have spent the week participating in joint practices, and will have a good opportunity to experiment with their play-calling come game time.

Saturday’s only afternoon game will start at 3 p.m. ET and air on NFL Network. Viewers can also stream it on Watch NFL Network.

The Panthers won’t have quarterback Cam Newton under center again Saturday, but the team didn’t have a problem coming away with a Week 1 preseason win over the Texans without him. The emergence of rookie rusher Christian McCaffrey started slowly, but his elusiveness and burst through the seams are worthy of all the hype he’s been getting. He finished his first NFL contest with 33 yards on seven carries against Houston.

Likely to be one of the offense’s most targeted weapons, McCaffrey will see more touches in the preseason until rookie wide receiver Curtis Samuel makes his way back to the field. With Newton slowly making his return and Samuel having yet to get in more than a day’s reps in training camp, the offense as a whole will be looking for others to step up, like wideouts Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, and Russell Shepard.

Newton made some progress during joint practices this week, throwing during team drills for the first time since July 30. He’s still a little ways off from making a full return, but head coach Ron Riviera isn’t concerned that the quarterback will be ready for the regular season opener against the 49ers.

“Today was a good step. It was very positive,” Rivera said, via the official team site. “A lot of good things happened. I’m really pleased with his progress.”

Newton could even be ready to play in next week’s preseason game, according to NFL.com.

On the other side of the ball, the Titans were happy to welcome back quarterback Marcus Mariota after his second season in a row was cut short due to injury. Unlike the Panthers, however, the Titans didn’t fare so well in Week 1 of the preseason, falling to the Jets, 7-3. Mariota only saw enough game time to get off three passing attempts (for two receptions and 15 yards) and get sacked for a 7-yard loss.

Backup quarterback Alex Tanney struggled with the passing game when it was his turn at the helm, but a big issue for the Titans’ offense was with the offensive line and running backs not picking up blitzes and struggling with pass protection.

Receiver Harry Douglas had a solid performance, especially over the middle, and wideout Taywan Taylor had at least one impressive moment with a leaping catch for a deep pass over the defender. The ground game wasn’t too much more successful, led by running back Derrick Henry, who gained 29 yards on eight carries.

The Titans’ secondary posed the biggest threat to the team’s defensive success, with newly acquired CB Logan Ryan having a miserable debut — he was targeted three times by the Jets’ QBs, allowing three receptions for 77 yards and a QB rating of 118.8 when throwing his direction, per Pro Football Focus.

At the end of the day, both teams are making the most out of the practice element that is NFL preseason. Once the Panthers see Newton back in the pocket, and once the Titans finally feel confident in Mariota’s health moving forward, both teams could be looking down the barrel of a winning season.