The Tennessee Titans are facing the unenviable task of having to go into Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13 to take on a team with the NFL’s best record, the Philadelphia Eagles.
After reeling off eight-straight wins to start the season, the Eagles dropped their first game to the Washington Commanders in Week 10 but have since bounced back with a pair of victories to move to 10-1.
Meanwhile, the Titans are coming off a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, but Tennessee remains in firm control of the AFC South and is now more focused on playoff seeding than anything else.
If the Titans want to be serious contenders in the playoffs, they have to start beating the best of the best, something the team has yet to do in 2022 after thriving in those situations in the regular season in recent years.
The Eagles are the Titans’ latest test, and with that test comes plenty of reasons for concern.
Optimism and concern: Eagles' run defense
The Eagles sport the No. 18 run defense in the NFL, and the unit hasn’t been any better over its last handful of games, making it clear this is the biggest weakness on an otherwise talented Philly defense.
However, part of Philly’s more recent struggles can be attributed to the injury to rookie defensive lineman Jordan Davis, who had proven to be a big difference-maker in the run game before getting hurt.
Davis was designated to return to practice this week and has been taking part, making it very possible he gets activated just in time for a showdown with Derrick Henry and the Titans.
Tennessee’s rushing attack has been quiet the last three weeks, with Henry averaging just 2.8, 3.1, and 2.2 yards per carry while also failing to hit the century mark in those games.
The hope is that the start of “D-Henber” and the return of center Ben Jones from injury will help spark the struggling ground game or else it might be a rough day for Tennessee’s offense as a whole.
Concern: Jalen Hurts
As we saw against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, the Titans are very susceptible to back-breaking plays and first downs by more mobile signal-callers, and Hurts is arguably the best in the business in that area.
Making matters worse for his opponents, Hurts has clearly improved as a passer, giving defenses so many things to be concerned about.
The Titans have aggressive edge rushers who can get after the quarterback, but Tennessee’s players on the outside have to make sure they don’t get too far downfield, otherwise Hurts will make them Titans pay.
On the interior, Tennessee needs to make sure it stays tight because Hurts can break one through a hole in the middle just as easily as he can break something outside.
Even if the secondary does everything right in coverage and the pass-rush gets pressure on any particular pass play, that’s just two-thirds of the battle against Hurts and the Eagles.
Optimism: Titans' success as underdogs
It’s safe to say there won’t be many experts out there picking the Titans to win this game, especially after how they lost last week, and sportsbooks also see the Eagles winning.
However, Tennessee has thrived as the underdog during the Mike Vrabel era, winning games nobody expects them to. In fact, the Titans’ 21 wins as underdogs in the Vrabel era are the most in the NFL.
That said, the 2022 Titans still have to prove they can win in these spots against the league’s best, something they’ve failed to do twice this season.
Concern: A.J. Brown
Nobody will be more juiced up for this game than Brown, who is no doubt looking to burn his old team in their first meeting.
Brown has become the villain with Titans fans since being traded to the Eagles, something he takes partial blame for. But he’s also thriving there, with Brown set to smash his career-highs in receiving yards and scores.
Nobody knows how good Brown is better than Titans fans, who witnessed the Ole Miss product become one of the better wide receivers in the NFL after showing he’s capable of blowing up a game by himself.
Adding to that concern, Tennessee’s secondary has had issues with bigger, stronger wideouts like Brown.
The only thing that can make a win over the Eagles sweeter is if Brown is kept in check in the process. On the flip side of that coin, Brown burning Tennessee en route to a win would make a loss even tougher to swallow.
Optimism and concern: Titans' passing attack
While the ground game has struggled, Tennessee’s passing attack has been better of late, even in the Week 12 game that saw the Titans move the ball through the air but fail to finish drives.
If the Titans are forced to be one-dimensional and win this game through the air once again, they’ll be playing right into the strengths of the Eagles’ defense.
Tennessee’s struggling offensive line will have a tough time with a Philly pass-rush that ranks third in the NFL with 36 sacks, and combined with a very talented Eagles secondary, the defense is limiting opposing passing attacks to just 183.6 yards per contest, the second-best mark in the league.
Concern: Titans' lack of success against teams with winning records
The Titans have faced four teams that currently sport a winning record but have only won one of those contests, which came in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders.
But the Commanders were 1-3 at the time and didn’t have Taylor Heinicke under center. Heinicke has been much better than Carson Wentz and had a hand in ending the Eagles’ undefeated run.
Other than that, Tennessee has lost close contests to the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs, and got its doors blown off by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
If the Titans want to make noise in the playoffs this season, they’re going to have to prove they can beat elite teams like the Eagles.
Optimism: Titans' defense
Lost in all this praise for the Eagles is the fact that the Titans have one hell of a defense of their own.
Yes, the Titans’ pass defense ranks as the second-worst in the NFL, but the unit has been playing better of late and has been a bend-but-don’t-break group all season long.
Where the Titans shine is upfront, with a pass-rush that ranks tied for 10th in sacks and a run defense that is holding opponents to 84.5 yards per game, the third-fewest in the league.
The two biggest keys for this Tennessee defense is to contain Hurts in the pocket and not give up the big plays this group has been accustomed to giving up.
Easier said than done, of course, but if there’s any group in the NFL capable of slowing down an elite Eagles offense, it’s the Titans’.
