Jeff McLane’s keys to Eagles vs. Titans in Week 2 and a game prediction
Can the Eagles' offense take a step forward with a new look along the offensive line in Week 2?
The Eagles travel to face the Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
When the Eagles have the ball: All eyes will be on Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons when he lines up over whoever is charged with replacing the injured Landon Dickerson at left guard. All indications point to Drew Kendall being the guy, despite the Eagles’ attempt at subterfuge at open practice portions (see: having Fred Johnson take individual offensive line repetitions at the position). Kendall assuaged some of the interior O-line concerns heading into training camp, but facing Simmons in his first career start will be a challenge. The All-Pro lines up at multiple spots inside, but it’s likely Titans coach Robert Saleh will concentrate his efforts vs. Kendall.
The Eagles will likely counter by sliding protection to the left, but that will place additional pressure on right guard Tyler Steen. Simmons’ counterpart John Franklin-Myers can be a handful at times. Saleh and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, upon their arrival, altered the defensive front from a 3-4 to a 4-3 “under” base. That led to the departure of run-stuffing nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat, now with the New York Jets. It’s early, but the Titans allowed 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Jets in the opener, although Tennessee allowed only two total rushing yards over expected. It wasn’t as bad a performance as the numbers suggest.
» READ MORE: Titans ‘ready to plaster’ Eagles receivers, Jeffery Simmons’ hot take, and more before Sunday’s game
Nevertheless, the Eagles should have the opportunity to get the ground game going. Saquon Barkley’s 42-yard bolt vs. the Commanders did a lot of heavy lifting in the run game. He was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 7 of 15 carries with 78 of his 82 rushing yards coming after contact. Washington was aggressive and blitzed safeties off the edges, but Sean Mannion’s blocking scheme needs to come up with better answers vs. pressure, especially if he wants to establish outside zone runs. Kendall, who’s more athletic than Dickerson, could allow Mannion to lean more into wide-zone blocking concepts and counter runs.
Aside from Simmons, the Titans aren’t especially imposing up front. Defensive end Jermaine Johnson was acquired in the offseason and he’s a good fit for wide sets. But he’s three years removed from the only season in which he truly delivered on being a first-round draft pick. Tennessee didn’t record a sack in the opener, but did generate pressure a third of the time. The Titans also allowed the Jets only two trips inside the red zone. Saleh doesn’t yet have the players he needs in the secondary to effectively employ the Pete Carroll-type base Cover-3 zone. The coverages looked uncomplicated in Week 1, and yet, there were multiple busted assignments.
Mannion’s offense produced explosive plays in the opener. But it was terrible on first and 10 and averaged just 0.9 yards. The Eagles had four three-and-outs on 11 possessions and managed just 10 first downs. It was only a one-game sample, but the scheme was fairly static with little misdirection. Jalen Hurts, surprisingly, threw off play-action only twice. Some of that had to do with getting “behind schedule,” as Mannion noted. But there were still carryover issues from last season’s underwhelming offense — bleeding too much of the play clock down being one. Hurts bailed the offense out with his legs and deep-ball accuracy, but the scheme has to give him more time in the pocket. The Titans should be just what the doctor prescribed.
When the Titans have the ball: Cam Ward appears to have carried over some of his rookie-season struggles as a passer. He holds the ball too long and doesn’t take advantage of opportunities to escape pressure. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took the Titans job after he interviewed with the Eagles, so maybe he saw something in Ward to develop. But the early signs weren’t promising. Vic Fangio and his defense should be able to get to a hesitant quarterback behind a suspect O-line. Tackles Dan Moore and JC Latham allowed a combined 16 sacks last season and a combined four pressures against the Jets. Center Austin Schlottmann and right guard Fernando Carmona, a fifth-round rookie, could also be exploited.
The Eagles’ pass rush was solid, if not spectacular, last week. They played some containment against the elusive Jayden Daniels, but given the opportunity to pin their ears back with the lead late in the game, they struggled to get home. Edge Jonathan Greenard is out for a second straight week as he recovers from a pectoral injury. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr. were solid on the edge, but they’ll need to start finishing soon. Jalen Carter started strong, but finished meekly. He played 94% of the snaps and might have been gassed, but it was revealed during practice this week that he has a wrist injury. It looks like he’s going to wear a soft cast, which could affect him.
The Titans hardly ran the ball in Week 1. Tony Pollard, who is a capable running back, had just seven carries. But he averaged five yards on some nicely designed runs. You have to think Daboll will emphasize the ground game more to offset the load on Ward. The Eagles will make it tough, as defensive tackle Jordan Davis and Co. often do, but I could see Daboll attacking the outside and trying to make the Eagles’ edge defenders tackle in space. Still, when you have Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell capable of reaching sideline to sideline, I don’t think Fangio is going to have to devote more bodies in the box.
The Eagles are a little banged up in the secondary. Cooper DeJean has abdomen and calf injuries, while safety Andrew Mukuba tweaked his knee in practice. DeJean had one of his worst games last week. Was it just a blip or has the move to safety in base personnel affected his play in the slot? He’ll mostly see receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, but Calvin Ridley will also line up inside. No. 1 draft pick Carnell Tate has immense talent, but outside corners Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen should keep him in check with Ward at the controls. Fangio doesn’t like to blitz more than necessary, but simulated pressures could work well against the Titans. Ward will take sacks, but he avoids turnovers. He’s tossed only eight interceptions in 18 games.
» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Titans predictions: Our writers pick a winner for the Week 2 game in Nashville
Extra point: A lot would have to go wrong for the Eagles to lose. The Titans just don’t match up well on paper. Maybe there’s a special teams flaw the Titans can expose. Kicker Joey Slye has the knuckleball kickoff in his arsenal. Tank Bigsby lost one of the kick returner jobs last season when he struggled to handle the Rams’ unpredictable kicks. He’s back at the position alongside Will Shipley. Could the Titans target him?
This is the second of the Titans’ two season-opening games at home. They’re used to the climate, of course, but having one game in immense heat under their belts could give them a slight edge. The Eagles traveled to Tennessee a day early to get acclimated. They did the same a year ago in Tampa and beat the Buccaneers. I don’t think it will matter much, but it can’t hurt. The Eagles have lost in each of their three previous trips to Nashville. The names Kenny Britt and Corey Graham probably conjure up bad memories for fans. But it’s likely to take more than just one notable performance for the Eagles to exit the Music City without a victory.
Prediction: Eagles, 25-10.
Landon Dickerson has made a career of fighting through injuries and pain, last season being the latest instance. But after the left guard looked like a shell of himself Week 1 vs. Washington, the Eagles decided to shut him down — at least for now. With Dickerson landing on injured reserve, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane explains why, this time around, he and the Eagles are taking the cautious route. Jeff also shares what he's heard about how the Eagles might fill Dickerson's void on the offensive line, and takes listener questions in this week's mailbag segment. Listen here.
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