Titans vs. Saints: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
The surging New Orleans Saints will look to extend their winning streak Sunday, as they host the struggling Tennessee Titans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
New Orleans (4-4) dropped its first three games, but coach Sean Payton’s club has rallied to win three in a row and four of its last five.
The Saints are coming off a prolific offensive performance a week ago, when they rolled up over 600 yards in a 52-49 win over the New York Giants.
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Tennessee, on the other hand, has dropped six in a row after winning its opener. The Titans fired former coach Ken Whisenhunt after last week’s loss to the Houston Texans, and Mike Mularkey will now call the shots as interim head coach.
Let’s take a look at some of the things to watch for on Sunday.
Defense
Eli Manning and the Giants took coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense for a ride last Sunday.
This week, New Orleans won’t be dealing with nearly as polished a passing attack, but the return of quarterback Marcus Mariota to the starting lineup should give the Titans’ No. 31-ranked offense a boost.
Mularkey announced Mariota as the starter on Friday, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's website. The rookie missed the last two games with a knee injury.
Even with the No. 2 overall draft pick back in the lineup, the play of the offensive line is still a major concern for the Titans. The unit has yielded 14 sacks in the last three games, and Saints defensive end Cam Jordan could be looking at another multiple-sack outing in this one.
Mariota, who threw for nine touchdowns in his first five NFL starts, appeared to be an ideal fit for Whisenhunt’s scheme, which was a rhythm-based offense featuring quick, accurate throws by the quarterback. Pre-snap reads were also highly important.
In addition, Whisenhunt took some of the wrinkles that Mariota was successful with at Oregon and incorporated them into the Titans’ scheme. On Sunday, the Saints can expect to see much of that same offense.
One of the plays New Orleans must be prepared for is the play-action pass off the zone read. This was highly successful for Mariota at Oregon, and the Titans utilized it well when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 for their lone win of the season.
The best way for the Saints to defend the zone read is by playing straight man-to-man in the back seven, with the linebackers manning up with tight ends and backs. By staying with their individual assignments, the New Orleans defenders will be less likely to bite when Mariota meshes with the running back in the backfield, thereby exposing the defense to a quick-hitting play-action pass.
Even if Mariota does opt to hand the ball off, the back will be accounted for by a linebacker.
Of course, the ultra-aggressive Ryan is likely to throw a wide variety of looks, alignments and coverage schemes at Mariota, which should make it tougher for the rookie to make his all-important pre-snap reads.
With Mularkey now at the helm, expect some changes involving the Titans’ pass protection, and there’s a good chance he’ll also try to rev up the Tennessee ground attack.
In his previous NFL head-coaching stops, Mularkey stressed toughness and physicality, and he’s always placed a high value on having a power running game. With the way the Tennessee offensive line has struggled in pass protection, the group would likely prefer to line up and fire out on the Saints defensive front in aggressive fashion.
New Orleans has to like its chances of slowing down such an attack, as the continual development of rookie middle linebacker Stephone Anthony has steadily improved the Saints' run defense.
Offense
The strength-on-strength matchup of this contest will pit the Saints’ third-ranked pass offense against the Titans’ third-ranked pass defense.
Tennessee defensive coordinator Ray Horton and assistant head coach of defense Dick LeBeau run an aggressive scheme that utilizes stunts and zone blitzes to close off specific gaps. This attacking style of defense forces opposing offensive lines into making mistakes.
The New Orleans line has provided Brees with solid protection over the past few weeks. His ability to go through progressions and get the ball out quickly will go a long way toward the Saints enjoying another successful day through the air.
Another key to success for Payton’s offense will be the availability of left tackle Terron Armstead. New Orleans’ top pass-blocker, Armstead has dealt with a knee injury all week in practice, and according to Friday’s injury report on the team's website, he’s probable for Sunday.
Look for Brees to stretch the Titans out with a horizontal passing game in the early going, as the Saints often do, while later going downfield with some vertical throws. New Orleans tight end Benjamin Watson could once again have a big day, and wideouts Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Marques Colston, along with running back C.J. Spiller, should all be very much involved.
The Mark Ingram-led rushing attack could also have a heavy hand in this one. With the injured Khiry Robinson no longer in the New Orleans backfield, Ingram could see a significant increase in his workload. The fifth-year back has flourished in the past when given the lion’s share of the carries, and he’ll attempt to wear down the Titans behind the blocking of Max Unger and Jahri Evans.
Prediction
Under the direction of a new head coach, the Titans will come out and try to move the sticks in the early going with their short passing attack and ground game.
On the other side, the New Orleans defense, despite poor overall numbers, has been quite tough recently on third downs. Against a shaky offensive line, Ryan’s group should be able to get enough pressure on Mariota to force some stops.
Offensively, the Saints will look to carry the momentum from last week’s prolific passing performance into Sunday’s contest. Tennessee can also expect a heavy dose of Ingram, especially if New Orleans builds a lead in the second half.
Mularkey will get a solid effort out of his squad in his first game at the helm, but the Saints will prevail at home behind another strong offensive showing.
Saints 31, Titans 14
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