 We all know it's that state, man. Y'all know we're playing for the state, man. So let's go get it, man. And believe in this family. Okay, believe in it, man. Don't be selfish. Okay, put the team first. Hey, listen, man, we got another opportunity, baby, to take over again, man. Two years on the road, the visit time is coming up. Hey, let's get it. You guys appreciate what you do. Okay, I'm proud to be your coach. I tell you that every week. You ought to be proud to be on this football team. We're just getting started. Okay, I'll see you Wednesday. We're at Nissan Stadium live downtown Nashville. I'm Lance Smith, but you don't care about me. You came to see this guy, specialist, Mark Mariani's in the house. If that intro doesn't fire you up, man. Oh, I'm ready. Don't show me a brick wall. I'm gonna run through it about right now. Right, you wanted to be in the locker room with those guys. All of it, all of it. Gives me the chills, man. Ladies and gentlemen, AFC South Champs, two times in a row. Back to back, baby. Has it been done? Isn't that a crazy stat mark? Has it been done in 60 years? Crazy, man. Back to back in this organization? It's so crazy, man. We're living it as Titans fans. This is so much fun. These guys are absolutely rolling. It's just, it's been so fun to watch this season. Potential number one seed on the line. We'll figure it out this Sunday as the Titans take the road to play the Texans. We'll talk about that later. Oh yeah, Derek Henry's back. Yeah. The King. What? I'm going to lead, yes, of course. I'm sure you've been all over social media today. Derek Henry, the King has returned. He's been practicing. He has returned. We have some of that beautiful footage. We will talk about that at the end of the show when we talk about this Texans game, because that's what we've all been waiting for. But right now, how do we get to this point? Let's do hot takes with Mark. Mark, thank you for being here, man. Yes, sir. Hey, I'm happy to be here. You know I'm just driving this bandwagon bus, baby. I know. You're good for that. It's go time. Yeah, it's go time. Layoffs, baby. Hot team right here we've got with this Titans squad. This hot team was on display Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who had won seven in a row. This team was hot coming into this game. That's right. And the Tennessee Titans, you know, the 2021, 22, Tennessee Titans, they're finding so many ways to win. This defense has come out of the woodworks and it's just become nastier and nastier every week. The offense, you know, we lose the king. These guys don't lose, don't skip a beat. And, you know, we put ourselves in a position to go get this number one seed and give ourselves a week off. I'll tell you what, man, we have a task at hand here with the Houston Texans, but there's a lot of excitement in the air with the number one seed floating around. It's really funny to watch the Titans, you know, figure it out and rework and rebuild the engine as we go down the road this season. But that front four was fully on display against Tua and company and they looked to wreak havoc in the playoffs. We started this season with offense first, outscoring teams, scared of the defense. Now we have the number one defense in the league that front four puts the fear of God into these quarterbacks. And Tua just got flustered, man. He never got in a rhythm. And as the Tennessee Titans defense continues to play this way, we can take this on the road. We can take this at home and we can beat any team in this league if they keep playing like this. It's a true story. You've seen it, we've seen it this season. We are getting after people. Kudos to Tannehill. I, you know, we gotta point this out. There's the difference between what we've seen pre-Henry, without Henry, you know, we had eight games with Derek Henry. We had eight games without Derek Henry. Tannehill's accuracy, 67% in the eight prior and the eight without. It's his yards per game that actually down, he was throwing 250 yards a game with Henry in the backfield, but dropped down to 181 without him. Yet our, but our running game stayed steady. Cheers to the offensive line. Cheers to Ryan Tannehill for keeping, keeping things moving, keeping things going down the line. It shows you what defenses do when number 22 is on the field. Exactly. If you pack this box to stop Derek Henry, we are gonna throw the ball on you nonstop. Derek Henry goes out, it loosens up a little bit, little tighter coverage, and we just kept rolling down the hill, man. Our rush game came on. Our O-line came together. We've been banged up. We're getting healthier and healthier each week, but you can't give these guys enough love for keeping it all together. And Ryan Tannehill is the leader of this football team, and that's a huge reason why. Somebody that does need love though, because in all this chaos, yeah, as you said, the run game kept motor running. Deontay Foreman, who put up another hundred. Yeah, he gets plenty of woo. He needs more woo. That choo-choo train, baby. This guy has been quite the pickup for us. And running hard, I mean, hitting like Henry, what a pickup he's been, a great acquisition of this team. So hats off to that guy. I love watching him run. He's a one-cut downhill make-and-miss. He's got the same effect on these defenses that Derek Henry has, where you give him the ball more, you see it reap the benefits in the third and fourth quarter when they're just tired of tackling these guys. They're tired of Ben Jones and this offensive line putting their big greasy paws on them. They're tired of the physical nasty identity that the Tennessee Titans have, and Deontay Foreman is just running downhill and running over people. It's the same effect. It's so fun to watch. It's not always pretty, but you look at how that scoreboard looks at the end of the game, 34 to three, that's freaking pretty. Always beautiful is what they say. And real quick before we go, come on guys, Mike Vrable, coach of the year, has to be, has to be with all that we had to deal with. We've suited up more guys in the history of the league. I think I was a Titan at one point this season. I saw him run out of the tunnel actually. Yeah, I mean, with all that he has to deal with, come on, give this guy his due, but it's not over. And he would be the first to tell you that. Kind of take care of business at hand. That's right, it's fine. We're not just talking about a team limping into playoffs. We're talking about a number one seed, getting healthier, finding ways to get Ws, even with the war of attrition. He deserves everything. And it gives me chills again, watching this guy lead this group of men and continue to take this between the lines every Sunday. Yeah, as a fan, I love Vrable behind the wheel. I'm liking what I see. Hey, we got lots more Titans Blitz on the other side. Right now though, here's a Nissan memorable moment. Stick around, DJ Pryor's in the house. He'll be right here. We'll be right back. Junker by Loa, fires down the middle, up in the air. To the Titans Blitz, we are live downtown Nashville at Nissan Stadium, home of the AFC South Champions. Let's go! Welcome back to the show. Our friend, DJ Pryor, right here. My friend, my man. Good to see you again. So before we get into this, was this bittersweet coming into this week? As you thought? It was, man. I thought I lost my job, guys. For those who don't know, my contract technically had me to the last game would have been Sunday. Unless something historic happened and the stars aligned and, well, you know. We got bonus football coming. That's what happened. Yes, that's what happened. And I'm proud of the way it happened. Did y'all watch that game? That was amazing! That was amazing. And see what wins do, regardless of weather? Yeah, it made me extremely cocky. I'll tell you that. I'll tell you that. Winning will do that, too. Yes, it does. I want to talk about your season right now, but I want you to see this. This is great. I love what DJ Pryor does in capturing these games for us in the feeling, in the moment, in the emotion, grab your tissues. Here's DJ Pryor and I'll tighten it up. So I signed up to do DJ Pryor, I'll tighten up until January 2nd. And the only way I would stay on was if there was something I needed to cover, you know, something historic. And, well, the stars aligned and, well, you just got to see it. Just take a look. You know what I'm doing? It gets real special. Somebody's grabbing my mic. Somebody's grabbing my mic. We get this dub today and this will never end. We'll do this every Sunday together. I've got to stay outside my mask now. Dear football gods, thank you for bringing us all here today for the final regular season game here at Nissan Stadium. Let us all perform admirably on top of our game, both on the field and in the control room. Let's create memorable moments. Let's inspire the team for a big victory and let us all stay, all stay together. And just like that, David Pryor was heard. I'll show you how it went down. He has won seven in a row and if that streak can reach nine, they make the playoffs. Tennessee, on the other hand, has a real shot to be the AFC's top seed. Okay, taking one of my last throws, man. How cold is it out here right now? Just know it's really cold. It's cold, it's cold, it's cold, it's cold, it's cold, it's wet, she's got to sacrifice it all. I was whispering because my baby was in the room sleep. That's why. Oh, yeah. All us parents know. There's all gangster to a baby wake up. Yes, it is. Real quick before we go, you've finished your, you've completed your first regular season of football. We've got the playoffs coming, but what have you gleaned from this experience? Man, the game is so exciting. The game is so exciting and it's very competitive. And it just, man, all the other stuff doesn't matter. Like, you know what I mean? Like, outside of the things that's going on in the world, doesn't matter. And it's about, it's just focused about the game, man. He gets it. The love of the game, man. He gets it. And that was the point of the whole show, man, just to show people the love of the game. All right, man, I love it. I loved having you on. I can't wait to see what you're doing in the playoffs. Love having your family come on as well. It will. Thank you, brother. DJ Pryor, y'all. Good to see you again, man. Yes, sir, likewise. All right, we've got the Titans trivia gauntlet on the other side. We're on Titans Blitz. We'll be right back. Woo! Hey, that's the sound of trivia. Back to the Titans Blitz coming to you live from Nissan Stadium downtown Nashville. I am Lance Smith. Joined by a few friends here in the house. It is now time for the Titans trivia gauntlet. Roll it. This is my new phone ringtone, I think. Hey, all right, here we go. I'm sitting next to Jeff and Brandon. Fellas, how are you? Great. Great? Don't get too excited now. Got real prize on the line here. Jeff, I understand you're from Springfield. Yes, sir. And you are a founding PSL member. Yes, sir. Right on. Love it. And Brandon, you're a six-year season ticket member. Right? As long as I've lived in the area. Hey, that works. It's founding in your life. All right, here we go. Jeff and Brandon, Jeff, you won the Rock, Paper, Scissor competition. Jeff, what did you win with? Rock, Paper, or Scissor? Believe it was. Circuit couple tries. I think it was a rock. Always go rock. Always go rock. All right, here we go. We've got six questions for you each. And then a final question. Hopefully, we might have a tiebreaker. Anyway, they start easy to get harder. Like I said, Jeff, you won the Rock, Paper, Scissor question. So you go first with the first question. Here we go. Question number one. We need some eerie music. What is the name of the Tennessee Titans conference, national football conference, the American football conference, the international football conference, or the national football league? Let's go with American football. It's a lot of words. The AFC, that is correct. One point on the board for Jeff. Brandon, next question to you. What jersey number did Titan legend Steve McNair wear? That'd be three, five, nine, or 12? Nine. Mack nine, that is correct. One point to each of you. Question number three. Jeff, who is leading the Titans in sacks this year? Danico Autry, Harold Landry, Jeffrey Simmons, Bud Dupree. I'm gonna say Harold Landry. Harold Landry has 12 sacks. He leads the team. Two points to you, Brandon. Your question, here it is. What is the maximum possible number of times in an NFL game that one head coach can challenge a call? The maximum number of times, one, two, three, or four? Two. Two, actually. It's three. Yes, if he gets the second one right, he gets a third. All right, you still have the lead. Here we go. Jeff, question to you. Where is Super Bowl 56 scheduled to be played in February? Hard Rock Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Nissan Stadium, or Caesar Stadium? SoFi Stadium. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Where the Titans will be. You got your tickets. Yeah, that's right. We're doing with that. All right, Brandon, to you. What NFC North team did Mark Mariani play for when he wasn't playing for the Titans? He had an in-between time. Bears, Packers, Lions, or Vikings? Let's go Bears. Let's go Bears. Yeah, look at it. He doesn't record anymore. Anyway, yes, point to you. All right, final question. It is worth two points. We are going, we are starting with Jeff, as you do have the lead. Who was the first individual player to be featured on the American cover of the Madden NFL video game? Vince Young, Chris Johnson, Steve McNair, Eddie George. First on the cover of Madden, which of those guys? I'm gonna go with Vince Young. Vince Young, and what say you, Brandon? You are behind by a point. This is worth two points. You're gonna stick with the same answer? Ooh. When you go with somebody else. Need an answer? Let's go Eddie. Eddie George, that's gonna give you two points. And the lead from behind. Brandon takes the win. Merge, you just won a mini signed helmet by none other than Jeffrey Simmons, the big Jeff. Round of applause for these. On the other side, Martin Mairnya is coming back. We're talking about this game Sunday against the Texans. Stick around, Titan's Blitz will be right. Welcome back to the Titans Blitz. Lance and Mark, back with you. Let's talk about it. Yep, big game. Week 18, sounds strange. It's been confusing me all year, but look at the position we are in. And week 18. Yeah, not a win and get in like we know so well. We know it well. This is take care of business and own that number one seed. And potentially, potentially, of course Texans wanna play spoiler. Potentially we've got Derek Henry back. And this is what I wanted to talk to you about, Mark. Everybody's been talking about does he play, does he not? We talked about this. Yeah, there's so many variables to this, but as an athlete, I had to recover from a bone injury. Derek has a bone injury similar. And here's the thing. I guarantee you mentally he wants to go out there and test it. He's a warrior, he's an alpha, he's an absolute beast. And he wants to go test it. I'm sitting there as maybe Vrabel or Jay Robb or one of these guys and saying, if we go take care of business, which we fully intend to do, I think you give him two more weeks to rest because it's a bone injury. But I will say that player, the alpha, the beast in him, he wants to take the field. He wants to get hit. I'll tell you, mentally for me, getting hit on my leg the first time I got back out there was one of those moments where I was like, all right. I can do this. We're back, we're back. And that he's gonna have to have that moment at some point. I like the idea of getting a buy and giving him two more weeks. But I also like any footage like we just saw of 2-2 back on the field there. You can roll that beautiful footage all day long. He's getting, all right. Well, so smart money says we don't see him play on Sunday against the Texans as a fan. I'm like, oh, just a few snaps to knock the dust off. But he's not rusty or dusty. He's Derek Henry. He's gonna be ready to go. Let's talk about the, well, we'll say dusty, the Dusty Texans. They wanna play spoiler. I mean, that's all that's in it for them. It's a divisional game. Is that what these fellows are hitting the field for? You're a player. This has to be one of the biggest games in Titans franchise history, at least in the short past year. And so the Tennessee Titans, I don't really care about the opponent. I don't know, Davis Mills or any of these guys. I don't care about who they're sending out there. We gotta be us. It's very simple. You do what you do best. Your identity is to go be physical, smack these guys in the mouth. I promise you, these guys wanna go to the off season. The Houston Texans have their vacations booked. All right, they have their bags packed. They're ready to go on vacation. Let's send them on vacation. Listen to that. Let's send them on vacation. But you gotta be you, which means that D-Line and that secondary flying around, making plays, our linebackers, we saw David Long Jr. out there flying around making plays. You smack these guys in the mouth in the first quarter. Our old line gets their, like I said, their grubby paws on those guys and buries them. They're gonna tap out right away. What you don't wanna do is give these guys any inkling of hope that they're gonna make this game. Make this a game. And go win that number one season. I want to be Sunday right now. Get your milk and grab the snows coming. Go Titans, baby! Let's go!