In what might be the biggest game of the regular season for the Tennessee Titans, they will hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
Of course, the biggest storyline of the week is the Titans facing wide receiver A.J. Brown for the first time since trading him during the 2022 NFL draft, a trade that will be talked about for years to come.
But this game is much bigger than the A.J. Brown storyline for both the Eagles and the Titans.
The Titans need to prove they can beat a serious contender as they continue to make their way toward another AFC South crown, while the Eagles are looking to maintain their grasp on the NFC East and No. 1 overall seed.
With this matchup just days away, here’s a look at six things to know about the contest between Tennessee and Philadelphia on Sunday.
Eagles are favored
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Titans are five-point underdogs to the Eagles, a spread that has gone down from 5.5 since the start of the week. The over/under has remained steady at 44.5, though.
The Titans are tied for the best record against the spread, with an 8-3 mark, but they have only hit the over three times. Meanwhile, the Eagles are 6-5 against the spread and have hit the over seven times.
Head-to-head history
The Eagles and Titans/Oilers have met a grand total of 12 times since 1972, with the Eagles winning seven of those contests.
However, since moving to Tennessee, the Titans are 5-1 against Philly and won the last meeting in 2018 when former Titans wideout Corey Davis caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Corey Davis touchdown. Titans pull out the win against the Eagles. They played to win and got it. Mora would be so proud pic.twitter.com/pVccOGyUhQ
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) September 30, 2018
A.J. Brown's first game vs. Titans
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know the biggest storyline within the Week 13 game with the Eagles is A.J. Brown facing the Titans for the first time.
The Titans unexpectedly traded Brown on the first day of the 2022 NFL draft in exchange for a first-round pick and a third-round selection, the former of which the team used to draft Treylon Burks.
And, to nobody’s surprise, the break-up wasn’t exactly clean.
“You know, it’s a business, and I’m not upset about the trade or anything because it is a business or whatever,” Brown said back in August. “But to be honest, I just didn’t appreciate how it all went down, and they just kind of blamed me for it. I’m man enough to say that, however people may take it.”
Since then, Brown has thrived in his first season with the Eagles, who sport the league’s best record at 10-1.
On the other hand, the Titans have struggled to get consistent production from their receivers. In fact, at one point Brown had more yards and touchdowns by himself than all of Tennessee’s receivers.
Things have gotten better of late for the Titans’ passing attack, though, as Burks has begun to break out, with 11 catches for 181 yards and one touchdown (recovered fumble) over his last two games.
Brown has become a villain with Titans fans for many reasons, whether it was his seeming desire to leave Tennessee, his Twitter spats with fans, or his trolling of Titans wide receivers in Week 9.
Both sides have kept it diplomatic during the week, but there’s no doubt the Titans want to shut down Brown as badly as he wants to light them up.
The only thing that can make an Eagles win worse is if Brown shines. On the flip side, the only thing that can make a win over Philly better would be if Tennessee can shut Brown down.
And, of course, the cherry on top would be if Burks outshines Brown in the process of a Titans win.
Titans with something to prove
The Titans have faced four teams who currently sport a winning record, but they’ve only won one of those games, which came in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders, who sported a losing record at the time.
The Titans come into this game with something to prove, and that is they can beat the league’s best teams, which is necessary if Tennessee wants to make a run in the playoffs.
Tennessee lost to narrowly to the New York Giants in Week 1 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, but they were absolutely smoked by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
If this Titans team wants to be taken seriously and put some credibility behind the notion that it can compete for a Super Bowl, a win against the Eagles on Sunday is a good way to go about it.
Titans' kicker situation up in the air
The Titans still have to figure out who they will deploy at kicker in Week 13 between rookie Caleb Shudak and veteran Randy Bullock.
Bullock has his limitations as far as longer kicks are concerned, but he has been a stabilizing force for Tennessee since 2021, a team that has had no shortage of issues at kicker in recent years.
But with Bullock sidelined last week once again, the Titans called Shudak’s number, and he did fairly well after having made three of his four field goal attempts and lone extra point.
However, the jury is still very much out on Shudak, who flashed his big leg on kickoffs but didn’t attempt a field goal beyond 38 yards — and his miss was from just 35 yards.
Head coach Mike Vrabel wasn’t ready to commit one way or the other earlier this week, but a decision will have to be made soon, as Bullock appears on track to return after practicing fully on Wednesday.
Shudak might have the superior leg, but Bullock’s experience is invaluable, especially in such a big game as the one at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, which will present quite the hostile environment for Shudak.
Keep an eye on Jordan Davis' status
The Eagles, who rank 18th against the run, have struggled since Week 9, which is good news for a Titans offense that desperately needs to get its ground game going after three poor showings in a row.
However, the Eagles might be getting a big boost this Sunday, as rookie defensive lineman Jordan Davis has been designated to return from IR.
Many credit the massive 6-foot-6, 340-pound lineman’s absence as the reason the Eagles have struggled against the run of late — and when you watch the tape of this kid, it’s easy to see why people think that.
Granted, the Titans have a run-blocking issue upfront, so they may struggle with or without Davis on the field on Sunday, but the offensive line’s job figures to be at least a bit easier without this absolute unit on the field.
Injured players to keep an eye on
On top of Bullock, we’ll also be keeping an eye on defensive lineman Denico Autry and center Ben Jones. Autry was out last week with a knee injury, and Jones has missed the last two games with a concussion.
Tennessee’s offensive line has struggled mightily without Jones the past two games, especially in terms of run-blocking. Meanwhile, Autry is arguably Tennessee’s best pass-rusher and it was clear they missed him last week.
Autry did not practice on Wednesday, while Jones was a full participant.
On top of Davis, we’ll be watching the status of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who suffered a lacerated kidney in Week 12 and is unlikely to play. Gardner-Johnson leads the Eagles with six interceptions and has been a fantastic addition overall for Philadelphia’s defense.
December is traditionally Derrick Henry's month
The month of December has traditionally been one that Henry dominates in, with The King averaging 102.0 yards per contest over his career in contests that take place in December/January, ranking third all time.
For perspective, here’s Henry’s average rushing totals in the other months:
September: 69.4
October: 77.3
November: 75.8
December/January: 102.0
Henry’s success late in the season has become so prevalent that Titans fans dub December as “DHenber”.
But there’s more concern than usual about Henry’s ability to dominate in the month like he has in years past with the Titans’ offensive line struggling mightily with run-blocking of late.
However, the hope is that the potential return of center Ben Jones will be the spark Tennessee needs to get The King going again.
