Saints vs. Titans: 5 Reasons New Orleans Should Fear the Titans

When the New Orleans Saints march into LP Field in Nashville on Sunday to take on the Titans, they will be doing so knowing a road victory could potentially clinch the NFC South.

Granted, a loss from Atlanta is also required for that to happen, but even if the Saints only win Sunday they can guarantee their Week 15 game against Minnesota would be a clinching opportunity regardless of Atlanta's effort. 

All that sounds great, but consider the Saints' history under Sean Payton in clinching games.

In 2006 at home against Washington—my first Saints game—the team blew a very winnable home game (though they actually still managed to clinch the division that day). In 2009, the team struggled on the road against Washington before finally pulling out a lucky overtime victory. 

Then they managed to blow two opportunities to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs while playing at home against a very beatable Dallas team and a horrible Tampa Bay team.

Interestingly enough, in 2010 they won their first clinching opportunity game—and unlike the seasons prior did not win a playoff game (how's that for ironic?). 

All this is standing in their way Sunday against a 7-5 Titans squad who is still very much alive for a playoff spot themselves.

For that reason and many others, Sunday's game figures to be a difficult match for this New Orleans Saints squad. 

Not the Right Kind of Breeze

If we are only to consider games since 2006—the Sean Payton era (which I think is fair since it is really a completely different organization pre-Payton and post-Payton)—the Saints aren't exactly world beaters when playing in cold weather. 

Sure they won last season in a November game at Cincinnati, but went on to lose at Baltimore on a cool December day, then in January at Seattle against a 7-9 division-winning Seattle (if you hadn't put it all together, more on that to come). 

Many times the Saints have traveled to Chicago where they've had anything but success playing in cooler temperatures. Add in a near loss at Pittsburgh in 2006, and you see the Saints really have struggled enormously in cold-weather contests under Sean Payton. 

Sunday in Nashville, the high temperature is supposed to be 40 degrees. I live in California and our night temperatures are reaching that as our low.

It's cold, but consider that in the middle of the day trying to play football. Now imagine that the low forecast in Nashville for Sunday is 28 degrees. 

The game is likely to played at a temperature somewhere in between. In other words, the Saints are going to be playing a key game in 35-degree weather.

Sure, there is some advantage in that running around creates body heat, and everything that goes with that. But for kickers and punters, who simply stand around, or special teams players who only play sparingly, it may be difficult to stay warm and effective. 

The other good news is that the cold is not expected to be accompanied by any precipitation. Footballs should be dry and footing should be firm. That is good news for the entire Saints team for the following reasons.

The Original "Matty Ice"

If I even need to tell you the primary reason to fear Matt Hasselbeck then I seriously doubt your loyalty to the Saints and to football in general. 

More to the point though, Hasselbeck is one of the sneaky veterans everyone forgets about.

He is very smart, very accurate and surprisingly a really good athlete for the quarterback position. Every now and then he pulls a play out of his hat you have no way to expect or prepare for. 

Hasselbeck has spent his entire career playing for cold-weather teams, so he has the advantage in that intangible factor. Of course, a quarterback is actually aided by wet weather because it causes the defense to be slower. 

It is only a slight adjustment for a QB to adjust to throwing a wet football. Thankfully it doesn't appear that will be an issue Sunday. The issue is dealing with a quarterback who feasts on man-to-man coverage schemes, and is fairly effective versus the blitz. 

If Gregg Williams decides to remain aggressive, it is imperative the blitz gets Hasselbeck down or significantly hurried, lest Hasselbeck breaks down the one-on-one matchups with some big plays. 

CJ2K Is Back!

At some point between Chris Johnson holding out, missing training camp (in addition to the regular offseason workouts) and learning a new offense under Chris Palmer, C2JK—as many commentators so affectionately have branded him—forgot how to run the football. 

Or maybe it's less that he forgot and more that his timing and his conditioning were just not there. Or perhaps the extra time defensive coordinators had to plan and prepare for him proved invaluable in containing him. 

Whatever the true reason(s) for his struggles, it is irrelevant now as Johnson has found his groove and is running like a man possessed. And that's horrible news for a Saints defense which has struggled mightily against big-play runners. 

Steven Jackson tore up the Saints defense by running off-tackle. Others have hit some big runs, though admittedly most of the big plays the Saints defense has given up this year have been via the pass. 

Of course, Johnson is able to play a role in that area either as the guy receiving the ball, or as a great decoy whether it be a play fake or running a route and attracting significant attention. 

Williams and the Saints need to figure out a way to slow down this hot runner and hold him to 100 yards or fewer. If they can do that, it should mean they are playing with a lead and the Titans offense has become one-dimensional. 

Ball Hawking Secondary

Drew Brees has been so good the past month at protecting the football and keeping his offense on schedule.

Part of that was due to playing in a dome, which allowed for Brees to better control tempo, control protections and throw more accurate passes which his receivers had no problem hanging onto. 

But it's been awhile since the Saints played an opportunistic secondary in the mold of the Titans.

Alterraun Verner is my favorite non-Saint in the entire league. The guy is the epitome of a ball hawk, and it all starts upstairs where he stores information like a coach. 

Jason McCourty and Courtland Finnegan are also Pro Bowl-caliber corners, mainly due to their ball hawking style of play. 

With Tennessee you're going to see a pretty good mix of man-to-man and zone coverage schemes which will require that high tempo to get to the line and allow Brees to audible if need be.

Additionally, the Titans are still pretty good at getting pressure on the quarterback, which could cause some quicker throws, which tend to be the ones Brees throws just a bit off target and get tipped into the arms of a defender. 

All these are things the Saints offense must concern themselves with Sunday, especially playing in colder weather. 

A Special Special Teams

Whether it be PK Rob Bironas, KR/PR Marc Mariani or punter Brett Kern, the Titans employ impact specialists. Between the three the Titans possess the tools to control field position and give their defense a long field to defend, and their offense a short field to drive the ball to a touchdown. 

Of course, the Saints are pretty good in this area too, but they also haven't played many teams that are their equal in this department all season. 

Finding a way to limit the impact of Bironas and Mariani especially will be crucial to the Saints' ability to control field position, which is always a huge help in terms of scoring. 

Bironas has a very strong leg and is one of the league's better deep threats. This should even impact the way the Saints play defense—perhaps causing them to become more aggressive in hopes of creating a turnover or sack once Tennessee crosses midfield. 

Nevermind the impact a long field goal or kick return can have on the crowd and the psyche of the home team. All these factors make Tennessee's special teams a huge weapon in this game. 

They must be stopped. A win, and potentially a division title, are dependent upon it.