Titans, Packers Among Offenses Thriving in Quiet Stadiums

Under normal circumstances, it would be an entertaining environment.

Lambeau Field. Late December. Prime time. Both teams with much at stake.

But this is 2020 and NFL players continue to compete in empty or near-empty stadiums as the end of the regular season approaches. Sunday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers will be no different with attendance limited to about 1,000 spectators, an estimated 500 employees and immediate family members along with 450 health-care workers.

There are benefits – particularly to the visiting team, which the Titans will be in this case – to matching up in such a setting.

“It definitely helps the offense,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “There's no doubt about that. Where you can use your cadence whether it's home or away, communicate at the line whether it's home or away, that's not something that's unique for us, that's across the league. It's definitely helped offenses.”

The numbers bear that out, and arguably no two offenses have taken greater advantage of the circumstances than the Titans and Packers.

For example:

• NFL teams have combined for 1,282 touchdowns thus far this season, which is the most every through the first 15 weeks. Green Bay and Tennessee are tied for first with 55 apiece, and for the Titans that is 11 shy of the franchise record that has stood since 1961.

• Likewise, the total points scored – 11,092 – are the most through the first 15 weeks of any NFL season. The Titans and Packers are two of three teams currently averaging better than 30 points per game, 31.1 and 31.0, respectively.

• The league-wide passer rating is 93.7, which is on pace for an all-time high. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers leads the league at 118.0. Tannehill, at 110.4, is fourth.

Tennessee (10-4) has won games this season at Denver, Minnesota and Baltimore, among other places. All of those venues have well-earned reputations as difficult places for visiting teams to have success.

The biggest crowd to see a Titans game this season was two weeks ago at Jacksonville, where 15,896 were in the stands. They won that one 31-10.

“We know the challenges that are out there for us,” left guard Rodger Saffold said. “… That mindset, just every time we take the field and having the ability to score, that’s the best way that we can help our team.”

The offense actually has performed better on the road this season, with an average of 437.3 total yards per game as compared to 387.5 at home. The Titans already have more rushing yards in their six road games (1,129) than they did in their eight appearances at Nissan Stadium (1,113).

“(The) first game was really strange back in Denver, first time experiencing (an empty stadium),” Tannehill said. “I wouldn't say it's ever normal, but that shock and the new feeling, the new smell is worn off. We're used to it at this point.

“At the end of the day, whether it's home or away, you have to find a way to go execute and get the win.”