Titans 5 Keys to the Game: Week 3 – How to Beat the Chargers

Here are this week’s 5 Keys to the Game for the Titans’ home opener:

1. Put the ball in the air a little bit more:

-The Titans are a run first team, and they can be very effective with that style of play, but they have to open it up a little more. You can’t average 125 passing yards a game and hope to do much this season. Jake Locker has done a good job with not trying to do too much, but they need him to put the ball in the air a little bit more. Otherwise teams will just stack the box and completely shutdown the run, which will then force the Titans to throw the football and that will definitely lead to trouble.

This could be a good week to start throwing more as the Chargers 751 passing yards allowed are the most in the league through two weeks. Now I doubt the Titans will need to put up 350+, but putting up 250-300 would really help this offense be more balanced overall.

2. Win the turnover battle again:

-The Titans defense has done a great job of forcing a pair of turnovers each game. That was crucial for beating the Steelers and nearly let them knock off their division rival the Texans last week. The defense needs to be opportunistic once again. The Chargers have turned the ball over three times so far so their could be some opportunities for the Titans to capitalize on. They have to gang tackle so that the 2nd guy coming in can go for the ball and rip it out of there.

Getting pressure on Philip Rivers is also key as he’s been known to throw some interceptions when under pressure or fumble it when getting sacked. The other part of the equation is to continue to be smart with the football on offense and not give the ball away. That has been big so far for Tennessee and would be great if they could continue to do so.

3. Get Pressure on Philip Rivers:

-The book is out on Philip Rivers and it’s not very hard to figure out. If you want to stop or slow down the Chargers passing attack you have to get pressure on the quarterback. Last week the Eagles were unable to do so, and he picked them apart with perfection. The Chargers feature a lot more quick passing, which helps nullify the rush, but you can still get opportunities to make Rivers uncomfortable.

The good news is that offensive line is still pretty weak, so the Titans should be able to exploit it like they did the Steelers in Week 1. If they can get some heat on Rivers that is when the incomplete passes in key situations and INT’s will come out.

4. Stop the Run:

-The Titans did a great job stopping the run week one and making the Steelers one dimensional, that was something they couldn’t do last week and it cost them. The Chargers don’t have near the rushing attack of the Texans, so it should be much easier this week, but it’s an area the Titans can’t get complacent. Last week the Chargers showed they have a pretty solid offense, so the Titans need to get advantages where they can. The weak point of the Chargers is their offensive line and rushing attack. If they can slow that down, it will force the Chargers in some 3rd and long situations which should then favor the Titans pass rush.

5. Use Chris Johnson in the passing game:

-One of the biggest surprises through two games is the lack of attention Chris Johnson is getting in the passing game. Johnson has been targeted for just a single pass, that he caught for all of one yard. That is well below the 3 catches and 20.5 yards he averages a game throughout his career. Yes the Titans are passing less in general, but that shouldn’t mean they ignore their running backs, particularly a playmaker like Chris Johnson.

Teams typically throw to their backs 13-16% of the time. So far the Titans have just two attempts, one to Johnson and one to FB Collin Mooney. They need to implement a game plan that will feature more throws to the backs. These are quick safe throws that can help out Jake Locker when he gets in trouble. And a guy like Johnson is a threat to take it to the house any time you put it in his hands. To ignore that aspect when you don’t have a particularly strong passing attack doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The Eagles showed how dangerous a back could be last week, when LeSean McCoy took a pass 70 yards. That is the type of game breaking play the Titans have lacked so far and could desperately use. There is of course no guarantee it will happen, but it is a low risk, high reward play and should be more of a focal point of the Titans’ game plan.