The Philadelphia Eagles are on the road for the first time this season to take on the Tennessee Titans. Man, it’s (going to be) a hot one with a projected feels like temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit at Sunday’s 1:00 PM kickoff.
In order to preview this Week 2 matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Music City Miracles. The jovial Jimmy Morris kindly took the time took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers.
[For my answers to Jimmy’s questions
about the Eagles, stay tuned to MCM.]
1 – The Titans are 0-1 after losing to the Jets. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being total panic), what’s the concern level about this team after Week 1?
It’s pretty much a full-on 10. There were people around here calling that game a must-win for the Titans. There is a scenario where the Titans could have lost that game, and the panic wouldn’t be as high, but that’s not the Titans’ way. They looked abysmal in pretty much every aspect of the game on Sunday. They were dominated on both lines of scrimmage by the New York Jets. Now, I think the Jets are going to be better than most people think this year, but they are certainly not a team that is going to be contending for a Super Bowl. The defense was bad. The offense, especially Cam Ward, was bad. The special teams unit was bad. There was absolutely nothing positive to give us any hope for the season. That was a tough blow after back-to-back 3-win seasons.
2 – What’s the feeling on Cam Ward? How good do you think he can be? And what do you expect from him this week?
It’s time for Ward to take a step forward. He was in a really tough spot last year. Everything around him – the coaching staff, the offensive line, the weapons – was bad. That’s not the case this year. He has a good offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll. The Titans signed Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency and drafted Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick in the draft. The offensive line still isn’t great, but they should be at least a league-average unit.
If you watch the tape from last week, you see that Ward just doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket. He is still missing way too many easy throws, and he is bailing from the pocket too early. The offensive line didn’t play great last week, but a lot of the pressure Ward felt was his own creation. The only good thing about his performance last week was that he didn’t turn the ball over.
I expect him to struggle on Sunday. In fact, my expectation is that he is going to struggle in every game until he can put three or four solid performances together. A lot has to change about the way he is playing the position before that has the possibility of happening.
3 – As you know, the Eagles and Titans don’t play very often. Who are some of the under-the-radar players that we should keep an eye out for?
On defense, that guy is rookie LB Anthony Hill, Jr. He had a really solid preseason but wasn’t expected to start until LB Cedric Gray suffered a concussion in a UTV accident before Week 1. Hill filled in for Gray and was credited with 16 tackles in the loss to the Jets. That performance earned him another start this week. He’s a really rangy linebacker who has a knack for being around the ball.
On offense, it would be second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor. With the additions of Robinson and Tate this offseason, Ayomanor got pushed down to fourth on the depth chart, but he scored the Titans’ only touchdown last week. The former fourth-round pick had four touchdowns last year. He’s not going to blow anyone away with his speed, but he is a good route runner who knows how to get open.
With that being said, there aren’t really a lot of players on this team that are going to blow you away.
4 – If the Titans could steal one player from the Eagles’ roster, who would it be and why? (And if it’s Jalen Hurts, which non-QB?)
Jalen Hurts is the obvious answer here, but since you asked for someone who is not Hurts, I’ll go with Saquon Barkley. Ward being able to turn around and hand the ball to Barkley 20+ times per game would take some of the pressure off. A dynamic running back can be a young quarterback’s best friend. The Titans have a solid running back in Tony Pollard, but he doesn’t have the home run ability at this point in his career.
It would have been smart for the Titans not to let Derrick Henry walk away two years ago, but the Titans aren’t really known for making smart decisions.
5 – What’s the biggest matchup in the Titans’ favor and the biggest matchup against their favor?
The only advantage the Titans ever have from a matchup perspective is Jeffery Simmons. That should be especially advantageous this week with Landon Dickerson out. Simmons is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league. A lot more people would be talking about him if he played on a big-market team. He should be able to take advantage of a backup offensive lineman and wreak havoc on the interior.
The biggest matchup in the Eagles’ favor is Vic Fangio against Ward. Fangio is one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. He will probably have Ward confused for most of the game. If the Eagles are able to force Ward into a couple of turnovers, things will get out of hand in a hurry.
6 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 7-point road favorites, what’s your score prediction?
If I were a betting man, I would bet the Eagles in this one all the way up to -10. There is just no way the Titans are going to be able to keep this game close. Eagles 31, Titans 10.
