Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans look to continue riding momentum
You may be hard-pressed to find a more evenly matched game this weekend than the Eagles and the Titans. Both teams are riding winning streaks and have the same record (4-2). The Titans also look to make it 11 straight wins against an NFC opponent while the
Eagles look to continue their perfect mark on the road.
The Titans may be without starting quarterback Vince Young, who sprained his knee and his ankle on Monday night. Young left the game in the first quarter in Week six and he will be a game-time decision.
If Young can’t go, 37-year-old veteran Kerry Collins will get the start. Collins played well in relief of Young against Jacksonville. Entering the game with a 7-0 lead, Collins eventually led the Titans to a 30-3 win. Collins knows the offence well and has
practised with the starters many times. The only thing taken away from the Titans’ offence is the mobility that Young would provide.
Speaking of mobile quarterbacks, the Eagles will be without the most mobile of them all. Michael Vick is still recovering from damage to his rib cartilage so Kevin Kolb will make his third straight start. Luckily for the Eagles, Kolb has played just as well
as Vick was prior to his injury. Kolb is coming off a game full of career highs, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns against Atlanta last week.
The high-powered Eagles offence will also be without their biggest playmaker in DeSean Jackson who suffered a major concussion last week. The Eagles are still full of weapons, as Jeremy Maclin already has six receiving touchdowns on the year. LeSean McCoy
is a threat as well, leading the team in rushing and receiving. This makes the Eagles’ offence explosive. They’re seventh in the league in points per game (25.5) and fourth in yards per game (380).
The Titans aren’t seen as an explosive offence, but the fact is, they’ve scored a lot of points. They’re third in the league with 27.2 points per game. Chris Johnson is obviously the juggernaut of their offence, but their passing game has improved as well.
The Titans are starting to use their passing game early to set up their running game. The Titans' young receiving corps is showing signs of improvement. With Kenny Britt, Nate Washington and now rookie Damian Williams in the slot, Young is starting to develop
chemistry with his receivers and is developing as a pocket passer as well as a scrambler.
The game will come down to which defence can make more plays. The Titans give up a lot of yards, but they’re fourth in the league with 16.3 points allowed per game. The Eagles have allowed 20 points per game and are vulnerable to a big day from Chris Johnson.
The Titans will need that, especially if Young can’t go. The Eagles meanwhile will have to find those big passing plays on offence and they’ll need their defence to keep Johnson and company off the field.
No one seems to be talking about this game, as there are a bunch of exciting divisional match-ups this weekend. The fact is though, both teams have scored a lot of points this season and this game should actually be very exciting to watch. Kick-off is at
1pm from LP Field in Nashville.
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