The Eagles (10-1) will host the Tennessee Titans (7-4) on Sunday afternoon at the Linc.
Here are some of the key matchups to watch:
Derrick Henry vs. Eagles run defense
Last week, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon stepped up to the microphone in front of NovaCare Auditorium already talking about Aaron Rodgers. Derrick Henry received similar treatment this week.
As Gannon walked away from his press conference, he let out a “King Henry!”
So yes, we know who the defensive coordinator is thinking about this week.
“I’ve played against this guy a number of times in this division over three years with him, and it’s a tall order,” Gannon said. “He is one of the best players in the world in his position, so we have our challenge ready.”
Henry, 28, is having another incredible season. He leads the NFL in rushing attempts again with 247 and already has 1,048 yards. He is averaging 95.3 ppg after topping 100.0 ppg in each of his last three seasons. And at 6-3, 247 pounds, everyone knows how hard he is to bring down. Sure, Henry’s average is down to 4.2 yards per carry this season, but he gets plenty of carries.
This season, Henry has broken an NFL-leading 25 tackles. To put that in perspective, Miles Sanders, who is running faster than ever in his career, has nine.
Maybe the Eagles are seeing Henry and the Titans at the right time? Over the past three weeks against the Broncos, Packers and Bengals, Henry is averaging just 2.78 yards per carry and has not topped 100 yards after five straight 100-plus games.
But we all know the Eagles have had their struggles stuffing the run this season. They are 18th in rushing yards allowed, but 23rd in yards per attempt at 4.7.
Getting big man Jordan Davis back for this game would be a big boost because the Eagles seem to be able to stop the run pretty much only when they’re in front of the 5. Having Davis and Linval Joseph to rotate at the nose tackle spot would make a long way Davis is eligible to return from IR this week after missing four games with a high ankle sprain and has been practicing.
Another note on the Titans’ run game: As you’d expect, Ryan Tannehill is very good with play action. His passer rating in play action ranks fourth in the NFL.
Eagles run game vs. Titans run defense
As good as the Titans are at running the football with Henry, they are even better at stopping the run. They are third in the league in yards allowed (930) and are second in yards per attempt at 3.9.
This is a very fun matchup between the strengths of these two teams. The Eagles had 363 rushing yards last week against the Packers and the Titans haven’t given up more than 108 since Week 1.
In fact, the Eagles had more rushing yards against the Packers (363) than the Titans have given up in their last five games combined (349).
The Titans have been known for their toughness under head coach Mike Vrabel and it really shows with their run defense.
“They’re very good coaches and you always knew that – when we play them twice a year, we always knew that this team was going to be very well coached, very disciplined, very physical, right?” the head coach said of the Eagles, Nick Sirianni.
“They were three acquaintances that you knew how to get into all of them. So you had to be physical and disciplined and you had to be — the detail of your work had to be very sharp and we had to do a good job of getting guys in position and making sure that the detail was correct.”
Eagles iOL vs. Jeffery Simmons
The Titans have some very good players on their defensive line. You can’t forget about Bud Dupree or Denico Autry or Teair Tart, but the star of the show is Simmons.
The 25-year-old former first-round pick out of Mississippi State is now in the prime of his career and playing at an All-Pro level for the Titans. After an 8 1/2 sack season in 2021, Simmons is already at 6 1/2 in 10 games this season and is on his way to another Pro Bowl berth.
Simmons is ranked as the fifth best interior defensive lineman in the NFL by ProFootballFocus. The only ones ahead of him are Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Aaron Donald and Quininen Williams. For comparison, Eagles DT Javon Hargrave comes in at No. 12.
It’s important to note that Simmons plays both sides of center, so the Eagles’ entire IOL needs to be ready for him on Sunday. Keep that in mind for Landon Dickerson, who has struggled with some injuries this season and was forced out of the Packers game for four snaps.
Simmons (ankle) and Autry (knee) missed two days of practice to start the week and that’s worth keeping an eye on. Autry hurt his knee a couple of weeks ago and missed last week’s game against the Bengals. Simmons has been dealing with this ankle injury for a while now, so even if he does play, he could be limited. This is a big problem.
Dennis Daley vs. Josh Sweat
Earlier this season, the Titans lost three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan to a season-ending injury, so the left tackle spot is one the Eagles should be able to exploit . Daley took over as the starter in Week 3 and has played every game protecting Ryan Tannehill’s blindside, but with inconsistent results.
According to PFF, Daley ranks No. 72 in the NFL out of 76 qualified players. Daley has given up 32 total pressures and 6 sacks this season. And Daley has been just as shaky in the run game.
Sweat is normally the starter at the right edge spot for the Eagles’ defense, which means he sees left tackles every week. This can be hard work. But in recent weeks, Sweat has been making some plays. In the last three games, Sweat has 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 TFL and 9 tackles.
One big note for the Titans: Center Ben Jones is expected to return in this game, which is a boost for Tennessee.
Jalen Hurts pass defense against Titans
Jalen Hurts had a masterful game against the Packers in Week 12, but the highlight was clearly his 157 rushing yards. This week, he faces a Titans pass defense that ranks 31st in the NFL in passing yards. They have already given up close to 3,000 this season.
The Titans have some good players in their secondary, but are young at the cornerback positions:
CB Kristian Fulton: 24 years old, 3rd NFL season, 24 starts
CB Roger McCreary: 22 years old, 1st NFL season, 11 starts
NCB: Elijah Molden: 23 years old, 2nd NFL season, 8 starts
The Eagles feel like they have an advantage with their wideouts almost every week, but this one feels legit. If Hurts gets enough time in the pocket, he may be able to throw to his smart receivers a bit against the Titans. McCreary (5-11, 190) isn’t very big, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try to target him when he faces AJ Brown, who will be playing for his former team for the first time.
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