The Titans hit the road in search of their first win of Robert Saleh’s tenure as head coach and will try to secure that win in the same stadium where Saleh was head coach of the New York Jets.
Granted, it will be the Giants as the opponent, and the two sides are quite familiar with each other. Here is a look at what the Titans need to do on Sunday to secure that win.
First down
Finish the job. The Titans had their chances against the Eagles but ultimately could not finish the deal, giving up a go-ahead touchdown pass with nine seconds to play. Tennessee’s secondary has struggled mightily dating back to the preseason. Despite two takeaways on Sunday, the Tennessee defensive backfield could not hold up when it mattered most.
Second down
Keep the pass rush going. The pass rush that Robert Saleh had been hoping for showed up in spurts against the Eagles. They were there to pressure Jalen Hurts enough to keep him in the pocket and get two interceptions.
That sort of plan to not let Hurts get going also could be a blueprint for keeping Jameis Winston from hurting them on scrambles and designed runs. What needs to be better, though, is the pass rush is going to need to come earlier in the game and more consistently than it did vs. Philadelphia.
Third down
Sometimes less is more. Cam Ward had one of his better passing games on Sunday with five explosive plays against the Eagles, just one week after he had none against the Jets. Against Philly, Ward attempted just 20 passes, playing a lot under center and using some three-step drops to get the ball out quickly at times.
It resulted in a 65% completion rate and a 9.2 yards per attempt average. That was markedly better than the opener when Ward threw the ball 32 times and averaged just 4.4 yards per pass. The Titans’ offense looked more efficient with better balance between run and pass and Ward not having to shoulder too much of the load with his arm.
Fourth down
Fix special teams. The one unit last year that was outstanding has been losing some of the hidden yardage battle in the first two games.
Chimere Dike has not been as explosive on returns as he was when he was an All-Pro as a rookie. New punter Tommy Townsend has too many touchbacks and has shanked a couple of punts short.
Meanwhile, Joey Slye has been automatic on field goals so far but has had problems on kickoffs. He has kicked a ball out of bounds, missed the landing zone on another and had a touchback through the end zone Sunday that gave the Eagles possession at the 35 for their game-winning drive.