Panthers vs. Titans: What's the Game Plan for Tennessee?

The Tennessee Titans will try to make it two weeks in a row of upsetting a team from the NFC South. Last week Tennessee took down the New Orleans Saints in overtime, but a much stiffer defensive challenge will be presented by the Carolina Panthers.

What makes the Panthers so formidable is their physical style of play on defense and their stout secondary that has forced 13 interceptions on the season. It will take another strong performance from Marcus Mariota for the Titans to have a chance.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans have a chance to also have some success against a passing offense that isn't overwhelming. They'll have to key in on stopping a rushing attack that is led by quarterback Cam Newton and running back Jonathan Stewart.

Here's what the game plan should be for Tennessee on offense and defense to try to hand the Panthers their first loss of the season.

Offensive Game Plan

It's been tough sledding for the Titans when they've faced highly-ranked defenses. Scoring more than 14 points hasn't happened against respectable defenses such as the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills or Houston Texans. The Panthers will definitely rank toward the top of the list as the toughest defense the Titans have faced.

Week	Opponent	Opponent Record
10	vs. Panthers	8-0
11	@ Jaguars	2-6
12	vs. Raiders	4-4
13	vs. Jaguars	2-6
14	@ Jets	5-4

Marcus Mariota needs to be smart and avoid turnovers that will drastically swing momentum. He can't try to take unnecessary risks through the air and try to beat this secondary. Josh Norman and the rest of the Panthers secondary are very good at forcing turnovers.

The better approach will be to attack this defense with short routes, screen passes and roll-outs to tight ends. Trying to go vertical will be difficult and most likely end in long third-down attempts. 

The Titans seemed to temporarily fix their pass-protection issues in the win over the Saints. They'll have to have another to keep Mariota from taking any big hits like he did before being injured against the Miami Dolphins. 

Andy Gallik and Joe Looney are newer additions to the offensive line, and they're a key matchup in this game, according to John Glennon of the Tennessean. They'll have to figure out a way to protect Mariota against a defense that has recorded 25 sacks, which is top-five in the NFL.

Once again, the Titans need to work in plenty of quick routes to get rid of the ball quickly. Mariota can't be a sitting duck in the pocket, but his mobility does help with those concerns. 

It may end up being a tough game for Antonio Andrews to find much running room. The Titans definitely need to try to get Andrews involved early on and see how it goes. Creating manageable third-down conversions will be the key to stringing together long scoring drives. 

There's a newcomer who will join the backfield as rookie David Cobb is finally set to make his season debut. He's spent the entire season on short-term IR from an injury he suffered back in the preseason. He was playing well in exhibition play; who knows how much different this offense would've been with Cobb in the picture.

It's hard to predict what Cobb's role will be initially, via Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com:

"

David Cobb role yet to be determined, has to show he knows assignment and protections.

— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) November 11, 2015"

Dexter McCluster will also need to be heavily involved in catching the ball out of the backfield and gaining yards in space on easy completions from Mariota. An ankle injury has been bothering McCluster, but he's listed as probable for the game, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com:

"

.@Titans Injury Report: Out: Wright, McCourty Questonable: Cox, Wreh-Wilson. Probable: McCluster, Brown.

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 13, 2015"

Kendall Wright will be out for the second week in a row due to a knee injury. 

The moral to this story is to not test the Panthers secondary anymore than you have to. Keep the offense simple, and try to wear the Panthers defense down with sustained drives. 

Defensive Game Plan

This is the side of the ball on which the Titans can grind out this win. The Panthers don't have a very scary passing attack despite being 8-0. They do have Greg Olsen, who can be a terror to stop at tight end. He's always had good chemistry with Newton, so the Titans' linebackers will have to be on point in coverage. 

You have to account for the always electrifying Ted Ginn Jr. There's a decent chance that Ginn can bust out a long scoring play on special teams or on a short reception. The Titans can't let him break containment and score on a kick return or punt return.  

This will be a big test for Derrick Morgan, Avery Williamson and Brian Orakpo. They're going to get challenged often at accounting for Newton's ability to run, and also watching for Stewart at running back. Both can wear defenses down as the game progresses into the fourth quarter.

Forcing Newton to win this game with his arm is the Titans' best chance to keep the Panthers from reaching their season average of 28.5 points per game. That's a number that the Titans will most likely not reach, even with Mariota playing as well as he has been lately.

Outside of Olsen, the Panthers are limited in their receiving corps. Shutting down Stewart with creative blitz schemes and disciplined play at linebacker will make the Panthers throw more than they want to.

Final Prediction

Despite the six-game difference in records, this contest could end up being closer than you would first think. The Panthers aren't the type of team that blows its opponents out of the stadium. They're very good at grinding out victories, and that's why they're undefeated.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Titans have found some new energy under interim head coach Mike Mularkey. They also know that despite their dismal 2-6 record, they still have a puncher's chance at winning the horrible division that is the AFC South. To do that, they have to pull off some upsets just like this one would be.

According to ESPN's Power Football Index, the Panthers have a 62 percent chance of winning to move to 9-0 and send the Titans to 2-7.

This game has all the makings of unfolding just like the Bills game unfolded, which was a defensive slugfest. That's the best you can hope for from this Titans team that is still growing. If they can give themselves the chance to win late in games against teams with much better records, then there is hope for the future.

With that said, Newton deserves to be in the conversation for MVP with how he's carried his offense that is full of blue-collar players. His sheer size will help him account for a few touchdowns in this one, and Stewart will also have a big day.

As good as the Titans defense has played at times, it hasn't always been strong against the run. The unit will most likely get exposed by Carolina.

Mariota will manage the game well enough to not lose the game for the Titans. However, that might not be enough against such a good secondary. The lack of a true veteran presence at wide receiver will hurt Mariota's chances of having a ton of success.

Not having Kendall Wright really hurts in a game like this. He could have taken some attention away to give Dorial Green-Beckham and Justin Hunter the chance to get free. 

We'll clearly see that the Titans are making strides in the right direction, and a three-point loss to quite possibly the best team in the NFC will be nothing to hang your head about. The Titans' home losing streak will unfortunately reach double digits as they lose another close one in a valiant effort.

Final Prediction: Panthers 17, Titans 14