Buffalo @ Tennessee preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2018 ) Tennessee 12, Buffalo 13

The Buffalo Bills suffered their first loss last weekend but proved the defense was for real while nearly upsetting the New England Patriots. The Bills will try to get back in the win column and shut down an offense just beginning to find itself when they visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Buffalo ranks third in the NFL with an average of 280.8 yards allowed and held the defending-champion Patriots to 224 yards while intercepting Tom Brady once in a 16-10 setback last week. "I think if you take a look over the first four weeks of the season, you can see that the guys have a lot of confidence in what they're doing and playing fast and playing physical," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told reporters. "A lot of it has to do with the familiarity and the fact that we've been together for the last three years, a majority of us. So, that has a lot to do with it and we have some talented guys as well." That defense will be going up against Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who did not commit a turnover in any of the first four games. "Honestly, I don't think about a whole lot of stats," Mariota told reporters. "I just do my best to execute. I do know the turnover margin is a huge indication how well your team does. If I can take care of the football and give our guys chances and opportunities to make plays, it'll give us chances and opportunities to score points and win games."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Titans - 3. O/U: 38.5

ABOUT THE BILLS (3-1): Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw three interceptions against New England last week before getting knocked out of the game on a helmet-to-helmet hit when he failed to slide on a running play and spent the week in concussion protocol, leaving him questionable for Sunday. "Josh is a competitor," offensive lineman Dion Dawkins told reporters. "Josh is just Josh, of course we all say Josh just get down, but Josh is one of those dudes that fights for every inch. Sometimes it means he gets hit but Josh is a warrior. He's just like that." The Bills are preparing backup Matt Barkley in case Allen, who completed 64.1 percent of his passes during the 3-0 start before going 13-of-28 against the Patriots, is unable to clear the protocol.

ABOUT THE TITANS (2-2): Mariota and Tennessee will get a boost on Sunday from the return of left tackle Taylor Lewan, who was suspended the first four games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. "Any time you bring back a Pro Bowl type player, that's going to help, no doubt," Mariota told reporters of Lewan. "I think when you bring that type of player into the offense with some juice and excitement, it's going to kind of carry that over to other guys as well." Lewan joins an offensive line that allowed 17 sacks in the first three games before keeping Mariota on his feet for the entirety of last week's 24-10 triumph over Atlanta.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Titans LB Cameron Wake (hamstring) and TE Delanie Walker (knee) are questionable for Sunday.

2. Bills RB Frank Gore (15,021) needs 249 rushing yards to pass Barry Sanders and move into third place on the all-time list.

3. Buffalo earned a 13-12 home win over Tennessee last season - the third straight meeting decided by one point.

PREDICTION: Bills 21, Titans 17