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AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
It’s no secret that the Titans’ offense runs through Derrick Henry and the ground game. No. 22 is the main engine that makes this offense go more often than not.
Unfortunately, the Alabama legend has been struggling as a ball carrier of late, only rushing for 178 yards over his last three games combined.
Even more worrisome is the fact that Henry rushed for less than three yards per carry in two of those games, while barely eclipsing three in the other.
Thankfully, the Titans are going to get the heart and brain of their offensive line back in the lineup. Center Ben Jones has finally cleared the concussion protocol after being sidelined for the last two games.
This should help a struggling interior line that has made life miserable for Henry as of late. The superstar running back is seemingly met in the backfield on every other carry.
That type of immediate penetration robs Henry of the chance to build up a head of steam in order to get downhill and take advantage of his unique blend of size, speed, and power.
Once Henry’s able to do so, he establishes himself as a threat, which subsequently forces the defense to overly commit to the run.
Henry’s mere presence on play-fakes will then force defenders to bite down harder than they normally would, inevitably opening things up on the backend for Ryan Tannehill to take advantage of.
Rookie wideout Treylon Burks has a tough matchup ahead, as he’s likely going to see a ton of All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay this afternoon.
His matchup is hard enough as it is, therefore it’s crucial that Tennessee establishes the ground game and play-action attack to help the rookie out by at least preventing the safety from frequently bracketing him as well.
Luckily for the Eagles, they are expecting to get rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis back in their lineup after officially being activated off the injured reserve list.
Davis’ return could make life more difficult for a Titans offense that’s extremely reliant on winning in the trenches.
Nonetheless, if the Titans want to leave Philadelphia with a monstrous upset victory, they have to figure out a way to play their game regardless of who’s out there for the Eagles.
Otherwise, it could be a long afternoon in Pennsylvania.
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