The Tennessee Titans won an ugly one last weekend versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week they return home to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The game will be exciting and a measuring stick for where the Titans want to go. The Eagles will surely bring their fans here, so it should be a raucous crowd at Nissan Stadium. With such a good team coming in, the odds will be stacked up against them. Let’s see what six things can give them the best chance to win.
Offense
1) Keep Marcus clean
The Titans will face some pressure from the Philadelphia Eagles this week. Last weekend, Blaine Gabbert was knocked out of the game and Marcus Mariota faced some heat all game long. In this game, the Titans offensive line has to be more solid than they were last week. They have to protect Marcus better in order to make sure he stays healthy and available to make plays for them. The return of Jack Conklin should assist in keeping Mariota upright.
2) Stepping up and stepping out
Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor made some plays last week, but the Titans need more from this duo. With another reliable weapon gone in Rishard Matthews, these two along with Tajae Sharpe have no other choice but to play well and be outlets for Mariota. If they don’t, then the Titans passing game will have some issues and that means a long game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
3) Paging Derrick Henry
Henry was thought to have a great season this year after seeing the Titans release DeMarco Murray. Well, he has sputtered so far and that has some Titans fans concerned about what they have in him. In this game, he could get rid of some of those doubts if he plays well and closes out the Eagles with his bruising style.
Defense
1) Keep eyes on Wentz
The talented young quarterback was on his way to a potential MVP season when he tore his ACL last year. He returned back last weekend and by all accounts looked like his normal self. With that in mind, the Titans have to keep an eye on him all game and that falls mainly on the linebackers. The Titans inside linebackers will more than likely spy him and the outside linebackers have to keep him in the pocket.
2) Dictate to the Eagles
The Eagles offense usually dictates the tempo to the defenses they play. They can speed up the tempo along with slowing it down, keeping you off-balance all game long. For the Titans defense, they must control the tempo and pace of the game like they did versus the Jaguars last week. Bringing some heat and putting the Eagles in difficult downs and distances would be a huge thing in controlling that tempo against the defending champs.
3) Jurrell Casey has to be a star
The star of the Tennessee Titans front seven is Jurrell Casey. He has been the guy in the middle of that defense for some time now and the Titans need him to be that guy yet again. In what could be the biggest game the Titans play nationally this year, he could introduce himself to the nation with his spectacular play and his gritty determination to make things happen. The more he inserts himself in this game, the better the Titans defense will be.
The Titans were not given much of a shot last week to win and they found a way to pull it off. This week, the Titans have another tall task. Can they handle it like last week or will the Eagles soar over them at Nissan Stadium? We shall indeed see, but in the meantime, these six things could help the Titans win yet again.
