The 9-3 Saints will head to Nashville this week to face off in an interconference matchup against the 7-5 Titans. The Saints are coming off another impressive win over the Lions and hope to extend their divisional lead, and try to catch the 49ers for the number 2 seed in the NFC. The Titans currently sit in second place behind the 9-3 Houston Texans in the AFC South.
Drew Brees will once again be looking to further himself as the leading passer in the league, while Chris Johnson tries to prove he is still one of the most dominant backs in the NFL. After holding out of camp for a bigger contract, Johnson has struggled, only racking up 852 yards and 4 touchdowns. Although Johnson is not having the season he and his fans had hoped for, the Titans still remain in the playoff hunt.
The pressure is really on Chris Johnson this week. He has been held under control for the majority of the season, but is coming off two very impressive games. Last week Johnson ran for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bills, and the week before that he rushed for 190 yards against the Buccaneers. The Titans will have to make sure he gets his share of carries if they expect to have any success against the solid Saints defense. In every game this year that Johnson has touched the ball twenty times or more, he has rushed for over 100 yards. The only exception was against the Ravens who have the second best rushing defense in the league.
Johnson has a very good chance to have another breakout game this week as the Saints rank 16th in total rush defense and 27th in total defense. If the Saints do decide to key on Johnson, the pass game should be wide open for 13 year veteran Matt Hasselback; however, Hasselback has been a little inconsistent this year. He has only thrown 15 touchdowns, but has thrown 10 interceptions and has 4 fumbles. Many Tennessee fans have been hoping to see rookie Jake Locker get more action, but right now it looks like the Titans are sticking with the veteran.
New Orleans will be looking to Drew Brees and their three-headed running attack to wear down the Titans this week. The Titans rank 18th in total pass defense and 21st in run defense. This could pose a major problem for the Titans, as the Saints have the top ranked passing offense in the league, as well as a balanced running game. Expect the Saints to use Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles, and Pierre Thomas to drain the life out of the Titans defense. By establishing a solid run game early, the Saints will have more opportunities to throw the deep ball to weapons like Jimmy Graham. Graham has really burst onto the scene this year with over 1000 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns. He and the rest of the Saints receiving core will be hard to match up with this week.
The Saints have had one of, if not the best offensive season of any team in the league. Their run game is good enough to the point where defenses have to respect it, and Drew Brees has been playing on a level no one except Aaron Rodgers can compete with. In their last game against the Lions, Brees had another stellar performance throwing for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. In each of the Saints past three games Brees has thrown for over 300 yards and at least 2 touchdowns. He has also not thrown an interception in the past three games and has a season completion percentage of 70.4%. Brees has thrown a touchdown in 39 consecutive games, which is the second longest in NFL history. He seems to have a good season every year but this year he’s playing at an MVP level – a race which is likely to come down to he and Rodgers.
Both teams are in interesting spots this week. The Saints hold a two game lead over the Falcons, who they will play in 2 weeks, while the Titans sit two games behind the leading Texans who they will play in their last game of the season. The Saints will need a big win here if they hope to keep their lead alive, and the Titans will need this win if they want any chance of making the playoffs.
Expect a good game in Nashville Sunday between one of the most explosive running backs in the league and one of the best quarterbacks. Both teams are going to come out ready to play, but the Saints overpowering offense may just be too much for the Titans mediocre defense to handle.
