Titans vs. Eagles: Breaking Down Philadelphia's Game Plan

Another week, another golden opportunity for LeSean McCoy and the 7-3 Philadelphia Eagles to establish the run.

The Tennessee Titans' defense enters Week 12 ranked 31st on the ground, which sounds inviting, except the Eagles haven’t been able to make similarly porous units pay in the past two games. But the Titans’ record this season is 2-8, and they’ve faced the second-highest number of rushing attempts in the NFL, so it stands to reason, to achieve success, there is a key to victory.

In Tennessee’s two wins, the defense limited opposing running backs to 2.6 yards per attempt. In all other games, that figure rises to 4.7.

GM	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 8 vs. HOU	20	151	176	2
Wk 10 @ BAL	20	112	5.6	2
Wk 11 @ PIT	33	204	6.2	1

No doubt, many readers saw what Pittsburgh Steelers bell cow Le’Veon Bell shred the Titans for 204 yards and a touchdown on Monday Night Football, carrying his team to victory in the process. It was the third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance against Tennessee and fifth in 2014.

The conflict here is the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers entered their tilts with the Eagles ranked 26th and 30th versus the run, respectively, and Philadelphia didn’t experience much success.

GM	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 9 @ HOU	24	117	4.9	0
Wk 10 vs. CAR	12	19	1.6	1
Wk 11 @ GB	23	88	3.8	0

McCoy carried 12 times for a meager 19 yards in the win over Carolina, and while the All-Pro back finished with 88 yards on 23 rushes in the blowout loss to Green Bay, he averaged an ineffective 3.1 yards on 10 first-half attempts, before the game got completely out of hand. That simply isn’t cutting it.

Philadelphia’s ground attack has been inconsistent all season long, largely a result of the assorted and numerous absences along the offensive line. With the majority of the starting five finally intact—only right guard Todd Herremans is out—it’s about time this group returns to something resembling its 2013 form, when the unit paved the way for McCoy’s first rushing championship.

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

The offense needs it. The jury is still out on the new and improved Mark Sanchez after two-and-a-half games, but if we learned nothing else about the sixth-year veteran from his last start, the Eagles may not want to put too much on his plate.

Sanchez was on the hook for four turnovers in the 53-20 loss to the Packers, all of them coming in the second half while trying to mount a huge comeback. That’s far too much pressure on a quarterback trying to resuscitate a disappointing career.

Not to mention asking Sanchez to put the offense on his shoulders would play into the Titans’ hands. Tennessee’ defense ranks sixth in the NFL with 29 sacks, despite being 22nd in pass-attempts faced, while the unit is 13th in opponents’ passer rating.

	PTS	RUSH/GM	PASS/GM	TO
Stats	25.0	143.5	226.9	12
Rank	19th	31st	9th	t-24th

That’s not to suggest the Titans secondary is unbeatable or the Titans' pass rush unstoppable. All of the data, however, indicates there is an easier way to break this defense.

The question is, are McCoy and the Eagles ready and able to pound the rock? If the Birds go on to defeat the Titans as soundly as experts think they should, it will be because they found success on the ground.

Get Acquainted With Zach Mettenberger

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

There’s a reason Philadelphia is favored by as much as 12.5 points in this matchup, based on betting lines provided by Odds Shark, and that reason is Tennessee’s offense. The Titans are ranked 31st in total offense and 30th in scoring. The unit is led by sixth-round rookie signal-caller Zach Mettenberger out of LSU. There aren’t any skill players who require extra-special attention.

	PTS	RUSH/GM	PASS/GM	TO
Stats	16.8	92.5	216.5	14
Rank	30th	26th	25th	t-12th

They don’t do anything particularly well at all.

The Eagles haven’t scored fewer than 20 points in a game this season. Conversely, the Titans have eclipsed that total only three times. I honestly don’t know how exotic defensive coordinator Bill Davis has to get this week.

Except this is the NFL, so you better have some awareness and knowledge of your opponent’s capabilities. That means Mettenberger, who will be making just his fourth career start in front of a hostile South Philly crowd. He has yet to win a game as a professional, much less distinguish himself from his predecessors, but he presents an unfamiliar challenge nonetheless.

GMS	CMP/ATT	YDS	TD/INT	SK
Wk 8 vs. HOU	27/41	299	2/1	2
Wk 10 @ BAL	16/27	179	1/1	5
Wk 11 vs. PIT	15/24	263	2/1	0

For instance, one area where Mettenberger has been an upgrade over the likes of Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst is throwing the ball downfield. According to the game-charters at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the 23-year-old has completed four of 10 pass attempts of 20 yards or more for 194 yards and a touchdown.

Locker was 4-of-20 with one touchdown and one interception. Whitehurst was five of 18 with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

USA TODAY Sports

The increased efficiency of Tennessee’s passing attack under Metternberger could pose a problem for an Eagles secondary that’s surrendered the most 20- and 40-yard completions in the league. Those plays are game-changers.

If the secondary can merely keep the ball in front of it for 60 whole minutes, it doesn’t give the Titans offense life.

Fortunately, while Mettenberger has been an improvement in certain aspects, he’s been worse with others. Naturally, a young quarterback must learn to cope with pressure, and not surprisingly, PFF’s metrics also reveal he’s less accurate and more likely to take a sack when rushed than either Locker or Whitehurst.

Philadelphia’s defense is second in the NFL with 33 sacks, so hurrying Mettenberger shouldn’t be an issue. In turn, that will make life easier on the secondary.

Then again, the Eagles shouldn’t have any problems if the offense holds up its end of the bargain, either. Barring the rapid evolution of Mettenberger or a ground attack that has been lackluster all season, the Titans simply do not appear equipped to keep up with Philadelphia at this juncture in time.

Just to be on the safe side, though, don’t make it easy on a rookie quarterback. Take away the deep ball, make Mettenberger feel uncomfortable in the pocket and this W will come naturally for the Eagles.