Tennessee Titans vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Complete Week 12 Preview for Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans will face their second consecutive Pennsylvanian opponent when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles on Sunday. Tennessee lost to Pittsburgh in Week 11 but was at least watchable, which is more than what can be said for most of its season.
Hopefully the upward trend will continue against the Eagles. Chip Kelly's team is 7-3 and first in its division, so it won't be an easy opponent.
It certainly doesn't help matters that the Eagles have LeSean McCoy on their squad. The Titans have struggled against the run all season long, so McCoy will provide a real test for them.
Still, upsets happen all the time in the NFL, so the Titans aren't out for the count just yet. Here's a preview of the upcoming game for Tennessee.
Week 11 Recap
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The Titans played surprisingly well against Pittsburgh before finally losing 27-24.
Despite the loss, the Titans pass rush put on an excellent performance, sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times and hitting him eight. While the pass rush put on a show, the run defense didn't show up.
Le'Veon Bell rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Titans, and it was their inability to stop Bell that let the Steelers offense find a rhythm and retake the lead.
On the offensive side of the ball, Zach Mettenberger had about as poor a start as a quarterback can have, throwing a pick-six on the first play of the game.
After the interception though, Mettenberger improved greatly, completing 15 of 23 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. It was by far the best performance of Mettenberger's brief NFL career, and if he keeps building upon it, he may end up keeping the starting job.
Kendall Wright also had a great game with four catches for 70 yards.
News and Notes
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Mettenberger took several major steps forward in last week's loss to the Steelers, but as he tells Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean, he's yet to earn the Titans a win.
It's admirable to see Mettenberger shoulder the blame for the loss. While he played pretty well, in the end, it's the quarterback who decides the game most of the time.
If Mettenberger's improved play is actually a sign of progress and not a fluke, then he'll get the Titans that win fairly soon. If he keeps improving, he could end up earning a starting job in 2015.
Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com recently posted an article breaking down the Titans' blitzes so far this season. The percentage of blitzes against the Steelers was a season high.
The pass rush is fantastic when the Titans get to use it, but until they figure out a way to score more often and earlier on offense—or to also stop the run on defense—it may be a moot point.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Justin Hunter | WR | Probable |
| Delanie Walker | TE | Questionable |
Justin Hunter hasn't put it all together yet as a receiver, but he's an excellent downfield blocker and is still an important part of the receiving corps if for no other reason than the fact that he's a matchup nightmare who can power through or run past defenders.
He's expected to play, and he practiced on Thursday, so he may not be at 100 percent, but he'll likely still contribute.
Delanie Walker was sorely missed against the Steelers. Walker has been the team's best offensive player this season, and if he misses another game due to his concussion, it could really limit the offense.
All injury information taken from ESPN's injury report page for the Titans.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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LeSean McCoy vs. Titans Front Seven
We know the Titans can rush the passer. However, what they've been unable to do so far this season is stop the run.
LeSean McCoy is one of the league's premier running backs, and defensive coordinator Ray Horton should be acutely aware that if the Titans can't at least slow down running backs, then it won't matter how great the pass rush is. Hopefully he'll find something that works before the Titans face off against the Eagles.
Zach Mettenberger vs. Eagles Pass-Rushers
Mettenberger has done a very good job of feeling the rush so far. In particular against Pittsburgh, he was excellent in that field, taking no sacks.
Philadelphia, however, sits second in the league in number of sacks (Pittsburgh was No. 20), so Mettenberger will have to keep that up if he wants to stay on his feet.
X-Factor: Delanie Walker
Walker has been a huge part of the Titans offense this season, and he is one of the more effective red-zone weapons the Titans have.
A big problem on offense recently has been an inability to score touchdowns after long drives. Hopefully Walker will return to help prevent that problem from continuing.
Prediction
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While I like the progress that the Titans have made, the Eagles are a very good team. To make matters worse, they have an aggressive pass rush and a very good running game.
While the Tennessee offensive line looked good against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia's pass rush is much harder to stop. Mettenberger is going to take some hits against the Eagles, and unless he takes further steps forward, that means he's going to have more trouble.
Of course, the defense will have enough trouble just trying to contain LeSean McCoy, much less also trying to stop Chip Kelly's offense. The Titans are going to get scored upon.
Last but not least, it's a road game. The Eagles are undefeated at home right now, and that doesn't bode well for the Titans' chances.
I expect the Titans to play well again, but it's hard to imagine Mettenberger not taking a small step back when faced with a really tough pass rush.
It's also tough to imagine that the Titans finally figure out a way to stop the run when it's something they've been struggling with all season.
Prediction: Eagles 35, Titans 17
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