Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints: What's the Game Plan for Tennessee?

The best chance to sneak out a win for the Tennessee Titans came last week against the Houston Texans, and they laid an egg that was followed by the firing of head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

With their losing streak now at six games, the Titans have back-to-back games against the NFC South, starting with the red-hot New Orleans Saints.

The Saints just got done putting up 52 points against the New York Giants, a point total the Titans haven't attained over the last four games combined. 

It will be the ultimate test for a Titans defense that has played inspired football despite the team's dismal record. 

Interim head coach Mike Mularkey has nine games to effectively apply for the full-time position of Titans head coach, and an upset win over the Saints would definitely raise some eyebrows.

The Titans come into this game as 9-point underdogs, per Odds Shark. That's a very big margin for an NFL matchup.

To keep this game competitive into the fourth quarter, this is the game plan the Titans will need to execute to cover that spread and make things interesting. 

Offensive Game Plan

Not only do the Titans have a new guy at the helm, but they'll also have a new guy calling the plays in offensive coordinator Jason Michael. It will be interesting to see how much the offensive strategy actually changes in this first week under new leadership. 

Michael commented on what to expect with the coaching changes, via John Glennon of the Tennessean:

"

Are we going to go out and change the whole offense? No, we’re not going to do that. But we’re going to try to find ways to tweak it, whether that be routes, whether it be getting the ball out quicker, whether it be with protections — giving the help where we can.

"

After missing two games with a MCL sprain, Marcus Mariota will return to the lineup this week, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com:

"

It's Official: QB Marcus Mariota will start on Sunday for the @Titans vs @Saints READ: https://t.co/VHt4CkmVS1 pic.twitter.com/fA2uisKsUL

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 6, 2015"

Mariota will probably have some rust to shake off, and he's still a rookie quarterback. With that factored in, he still makes this offense so much better with his mobility. He adds another dynamic to an offense that has failed to score more than 14 points in all but two games this season.

If nothing else, Mariota's athleticism should help the offensive line not allow as many sacks as they did with Zach Mettenberger under center. 

This opens the door for a steady dose of power running from Antonio Andrews. He has to open things up for Mariota to make plays and get the Saints offense off balance. He was a hard runner against the Texans and was the main reason the Titans didn't get shut out. 

Mularkey has suggested Andrews will be at the center of the Titans' rushing attack, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:

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Mike Mularkey: If Titans are going to force the run, it would be with Antonio Andrews right now. https://t.co/3a4iQzGZZ4

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 4, 2015"

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Don't forget Andrews can be effective as a receiver out of the backfield. He's hungry and knows how to break tackles in the open field. Getting him the ball in space should lead to extra yardage and simplify the offense for Mariota. 

As for the passing game, it starts with getting Delanie Walker and the rest of the tight ends involved. These guys can simplify the offense on short routes and will aid in Mariota getting rid of the ball quicker. 

Walker is one of the few veteran presences on the offense, and he's leading the team in receiving yards with 361. He needs plenty of targets to help the offense avoid long third-down attempts.

Defensive Game Plan

It will be the most daunting task to date for this Titans defense, as they will try to keep the Saints from scoring at will. They will need to ride into this game with a ton of emotion under a new head coach to make the necessary plays to stop the Saints. 

The Titans should be able to keep the Saints from scoring 50-plus points like the they did the previous week against the Giants. However, they'll have to keep the score below 30 to have any chance to win.

To keep the Saints from running up the score, they'll first have to contain Mark Ingram. If he establishes any kind of rhythm, then it will make things so much easier for Brees to throw over the top. 

Ingram is a very dynamic player. He can make an impact as a runner and as a receiver. The Titans can't let him be the reason why the Saints run up there score. They have to force one of the younger receivers to make plays. 

With a 1-6 record, it's easy to forget the Titans possess the No. 2 pass defense in the NFL. It's a little deceiving considering the Titans have faced such inexperienced quarterbacks as Tyrod Taylor, Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston in the early portion of the season. That's not what you would call the top half of the NFL in terms of quarterbacks.

This will be a true test for this secondary to see if they can make things difficult for Brees. He will get his yards, but can they force some punts at key times to grab momentum for the offense.

The Titans went up 7-0 on the Falcons in Week 7, but the defense failed to build off of that momentum of being ahead. They also enjoyed a touchdown or more lead against the Bills and Colts but couldn't protect those leads, either.

Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey need to continue their personal hot streaks to rush Brees into more difficult throws. The pass rush has been the true reason why the Titans have enjoyed success on the defensive side of the ball and stayed competitive in many of their games. 

This is no time for the Titans to get conservative on defense. They don't have the talent at defensive back to sit back in coverage. Brees will pick this defense apart like target practice to one of his many viable options.

There is plenty of talent on the Titans defense to get to Brees in the backfield early and often. That's what they have to do in this game and hope it leads to a few turnovers. 

Final Prediction

Virtually no one is giving the Titans even a puncher's chance to win this game, and rightfully so. It's a horrible matchup for a team that can't seem to score in the double digits.

Even with a rock solid defensive effort, the Saints will still manage more points than the Titans have been able to manage in the last three weeks. The Saints have the ability to score points in bunches, and the Titans can't let that happen.

The Titans will try to shrink this game by owning the time of possession by running the ball with Andrews. He's a major factor into Tennessee breaking out of their scoring slump. 

Andrews will be effective, but Tennessee will eventually have to develop a passing game. Even with Mariota, I'm not sure they can put anything significant together. 

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

It hurts that the Titans won't have Kendall Wright, who is their best receiver. It makes things extremely difficult for Dorial Green-Beckham and Justin Hunter to make impacts with all of the attention that will be on them. There's just not enough pieces on this offense for Mariota to work with.

You will see a more inspired effort under new leadership that may keep this game interesting when halftime approaches. The more talented teams usually pull away in the second half, and that team is the Saints. 

Look for a balanced effort from Ingram and Brees. These two will create a balanced offensive strategy that will be too difficult for the Titans to completely contain.

Prediction: Saints 34, Titans 17