NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The (10-1) Philadelphia Eagles will battle the (7-4) Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon as the Eagles look to keep atop the NFC and the Titans look to keep pace in the heated race for the playoffs in the AFC. The Eagles are coming off a close victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12 while the Titans will look to right their ship following a defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The major concerns going in will be if the Eagles can stop Derrick Henry and if the Titans’ defense can put the clamp on the Eagles’ rushing attack that netted 363 yards last week. With the season winding down, this game like most around the NFL this week will be about playoff positioning. Which team will bring with their A game and walk away victorious?
Don’t Leave Blankenship On An Island
With C.J. Gardner-Johnson set to miss this upcoming game, that means the Philadelphia Eagles will throw undrafted rookie, Reed Blankenship back into the fire. His interception on Aaron Rodgers was a great moment but he must still make adjustments. Against the Packers, Blakenship was caught up in a pick across the middle which left Christian Watson open. Once Watson caught the ball, Blakenship took a bad angle and was burned for a 63-yard TD. This cannot happen against the Titans.
If the Eagles can somehow slow down Henry, Tannehill will have no choice but to throw the ball. With Darius Slay and James Bradberry on the ends, Blankenship will be the last line of defense. The Philadelphia Eagles do not surrender many yards through the air but that was with the exceptional play of Gardner-Johnson back there. The Titans will take their shots and they will do them across the middle seeing how Jordan Love and Rodgers had success last week. It’s up to Blakenship to make them pay.
Philadelphia Eagles Must Spread The Ball Around
Over 300 yards rushing against the Packers Sunday night but this will not be the case against a Titans team ranked 1st in stopping the run. This means that Jalen Hurts will need to spread the ball around to his receivers, TEs, and backs. Last week, he connected on 16 throws but this week, he will need to do more. The Eagles have the playmakers to beat the Titans with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Then you add in the deep threat with Quez Watkins and the pass-catching abilities of Miles Sanders, and Kenneth Gainwell, and this is the blueprint for success against the Titans.
On the other side of this will be the homecoming for Brown. This may be the game where he goes off. After spending the first 3 years of his career with the Titans, he may want to show the fans what they’re missing. Expect Hurts to target him early and often.
Get To Tannehill
To beat the Titans, the first rule is to stop Derrick Henry. While that may be a tall task for any team, for the Eagles, that may be impossible. The Philadelphia Eagles’ run defense has been in shambles for much of the season, so for them to win this game, they will have to get to Ryan Tannehill. The Eagles will enter the contest ranked 3rd in Sacks with 36 going against a QB that has been sacked 19 times in 9 games. If there was ever a team to blitz, the Titans are them.
If the front seven cannot get to Tannehill, then Henry will have a field day. The Titans rank 30th in Passing Attempts and 29th in Passing Yards. It’s all about the ground game for Tennessee. But if the Eagles can rattle Tannehill early, he has a knack for making mistakes with the ball.
