The Tennessee Titans (7-4) are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) in a battle between division leaders.
Even though both teams have winning records, these two teams couldn’t be further from each other when it comes to how they’re perceived nationally.
The Eagles are rightly considered a Super Bowl contender this season after their incredible 10-1 start. Meanwhile, despite the recent success over the last few years, Tennessee is widely seen as a flukey team that can’t seem to beat the good opponents on their schedule.
The Titans enter Sunday’s game with a golden opportunity to change that narrative in a resounding fashion. If Tennessee can beat the best team in the NFL in a hostile environment, it’s going to quickly swing the pendulum of belief in their favor.
Sunday’s game is going to have a little bit of everything, so let’s dive right into this week’s keys to victory for Tennessee.
Establish the run, attack with play-action passes
It’s no secret that the Titans’ offense runs through Derrick Henry and the ground game. No. 22 is the main engine that makes this offense go more often than not.
Unfortunately, the Alabama legend has been struggling as a ball carrier of late, only rushing for 178 yards over his last three games combined.
Even more worrisome is the fact that Henry rushed for less than three yards per carry in two of those games, while barely eclipsing three in the other.
Thankfully, the Titans are going to get the heart and brain of their offensive line back in the lineup. Center Ben Jones has finally cleared the concussion protocol after being sidelined for the last two games.
This should help a struggling interior line that has made life miserable for Henry as of late. The superstar running back is seemingly met in the backfield on every other carry.
That type of immediate penetration robs Henry of the chance to build up a head of steam in order to get downhill and take advantage of his unique blend of size, speed, and power.
Once Henry’s able to do so, he establishes himself as a threat, which subsequently forces the defense to overly commit to the run.
Henry’s mere presence on play-fakes will then force defenders to bite down harder than they normally would, inevitably opening things up on the backend for Ryan Tannehill to take advantage of.
Rookie wideout Treylon Burks has a tough matchup ahead, as he’s likely going to see a ton of All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay this afternoon.
His matchup is hard enough as it is, therefore it’s crucial that Tennessee establishes the ground game and play-action attack to help the rookie out by at least preventing the safety from frequently bracketing him as well.
Luckily for the Eagles, they are expecting to get rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis back in their lineup after officially being activated off the injured reserve list.
Davis’ return could make life more difficult for a Titans offense that’s extremely reliant on winning in the trenches.
Nonetheless, if the Titans want to leave Philadelphia with a monstrous upset victory, they have to figure out a way to play their game regardless of who’s out there for the Eagles.
Otherwise, it could be a long afternoon in Pennsylvania.
Limit A.J. Brown’s impact
This one has been discussed to a nauseating degree already, so I’ll keep this section as short as possible.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has been one of the pettier players that I can remember in a while. He’s taken numerous shots at his former team in a variety of ways that often come off as immature.
Despite all this, there’s no denying that Brown is every bit of a bona fide superstar wideout. This fanbase knows better than most what the Ole Miss product is capable of when he has a chip on his shoulder.
You can surely expect Brown to wear his emotions on his sleeve after every play that he makes. The key is to limit those plays as much as possible.
The Eagles wide receiver is the type of player who can become a massive problem for a defense if you let him get going. Tennessee’s defense has to find a way to blanket the Pro Bowl wide receiver or face severe consequences.
There’s no telling how this one will turn out, but Tennessee cannot let No. 11 get behind the defense or it will be a very long day for the boys in two-tone blue.
Contain Jalen Hurts
This is probably the Titans’ biggest key to victory over the Eagles.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been electrifying this season. Philadelphia’s ascension to a Super Bowl favorite directly correlates with their quarterback’s masterful development.
Since Hurts entered the league, he’s progressively gotten better in every aspect of his game. The Eagles quarterback finally put it all together in 2022 once he was surrounded by competent talent on every level.
This has allowed the young signal-caller to rely on his playmakers instead of trying to do everything himself.
All of this has translated into Hurts having the best season of his young career thus far. He’s passed for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns, while only accounting for three interceptions through 11 games.
However, it’s on the ground where the former college football legend has really taken advantage of undisciplined defenses.
Hurts has already rushed for 597 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. His presence alone forces opposing defenses to account for all 11 players at all times.
In order to avoid disaster, the Titans have to ensure they have some type of coordinated plan to spy and contain the electrifying Eagles quarterback.
The Titans will be asking for trouble if they turn their backs and lose sight of No. 1’s whereabouts. At least one defender needs to keep their eyes on and mirror Hurts’ movements anytime he leaves the pocket.
Tennessee cannot allow the Oklahoma product to break contain where he then has free running lanes to pick up chunk yards in bunches.
It’s going to be a long and frustrating day if the Titans’ defense is unable to consistently set the edge against a dual-threat quarterback of this caliber.
If Tennessee can do so for four quarters, forcing Hurts to solely rely on his arm, they’ll at least have a puncher’s chance at leaving Philadelphia with a massive statement win on the road.
