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Texans-Titans: 10 observations By Doug Kretz
Scouts Inc.
Houston at Tennessee
When: 1:00 PM ET
Watch: CBS
Preview
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Titans-Texans matchup.
1. Houston needs to find a way to protect the pocket: With QB Matt Schaub nursing a tender ankle, the offensive line needs to settle down and do a better job of protecting the pocket. Schaub is not the most mobile quarterback, even when healthy, and is most effective when throwing from the pocket. The offensive line will face a very active pass rush from Tennessee and will need to keep extra blockers in the form of a tight end or fullback in to give Schaub more time.
2. Expect the Texans to come out more physical than they did against the Jets in Week 1: The Texans were dominated physically up front and need to come out with a swagger if they want to hold their own against the Titans. A more aggressive ground game would help.
3. Houston will try to get WR Andre Johnson involved early and often: Johnson finished Sunday's game with a total of four receptions for 35 yards -- with only one of those catches coming in the first three quarters. Johnson gives the Texans a legitimate deep threat as well as the size to go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic. The Texans need to get him involved to take some pressure off the ground game.
4. Look for the Texans to focus on stopping the run: Houston matches up well with Tennessee's receivers thanks to quality cover corners and will likely devote extra defenders to stopping the run by sliding a safety up into the box. In Chris Johnson and LenDale White, they are facing a potentially more dominant run game than they did against Thomas Jones in Week 1. Houston's defensive linemen need maintain gap control if they want to control Tennessee's running game.
5. Matchup to watch: Houston RDE Mario Williams vs. Tennessee LOT Michael Roos. Williams has become one of the more complete DE packages in the entire NFL. He is equally adept at stopping the run as he is when rushing the passer. He brings a good combination of size, strength and athleticism. Roos has quietly become one of the elite left tackles in the league and how well he contains Williams will have a lot to say about the outcome of this game.
6. Tennessee will roll coverage to Andre Johnson's side to try and shut him down: After giving up 363 yards to Pittsburgh's passing game, we can expect the Titans to do everything possible to shut down Johnson. If the Titans can control the stud WR and limit his touches, they feel like they can match up with Houston's other weapons one-on-one.
7. Expect the Titans to bring a blitz-heavy package: We can count on Tennessee's defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil to do his due diligence when it comes to studying the Jets-Texans matchup. He will note the problems the Houston offensive line had trying to adjust to the active defense New York threw at them. With the limited mobility of Schaub, Tennessee will want to bring heavy pressure on obvious passing situations.
8. Tennessee needs to run the ball effectively: Johnson and White combined for a total of 85 yards on 23 carries against the Steelers, but they couldn't count on the ground game in crunch time. The team only picked up two first downs on the ground against Pittsburgh. Houston won't be as stingy against the run, so we can expect the Titans to pound the ball early and often.
9. Look for Tennessee to make Houston one-dimensional by taking away the ground game: This is crucial because Houston needs to be able to run the ball effectively in order for their play-action fake to work. It's also challenging to win road games by throwing when you're down late.
10. Another matchup to watch: Tennessee DC Cortland Finnegan vs. Andre Johnson. Johnson is almost impossible to shut down one-on-one; Finnegan will have his hands full. He's not the biggest CB in the NFL, but he is skilled and physical. Defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil will likely roll coverage to help Finnegan over the top but there will be plenty of situations where he will be lined up in single coverage.
Prediction
Houston 17
Tennessee 23
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=290920010
Texans-Titans: 10 observations By Doug Kretz
Scouts Inc.
Houston at Tennessee
When: 1:00 PM ET
Watch: CBS
Preview
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Titans-Texans matchup.
1. Houston needs to find a way to protect the pocket: With QB Matt Schaub nursing a tender ankle, the offensive line needs to settle down and do a better job of protecting the pocket. Schaub is not the most mobile quarterback, even when healthy, and is most effective when throwing from the pocket. The offensive line will face a very active pass rush from Tennessee and will need to keep extra blockers in the form of a tight end or fullback in to give Schaub more time.
2. Expect the Texans to come out more physical than they did against the Jets in Week 1: The Texans were dominated physically up front and need to come out with a swagger if they want to hold their own against the Titans. A more aggressive ground game would help.
3. Houston will try to get WR Andre Johnson involved early and often: Johnson finished Sunday's game with a total of four receptions for 35 yards -- with only one of those catches coming in the first three quarters. Johnson gives the Texans a legitimate deep threat as well as the size to go over the middle and catch the ball in traffic. The Texans need to get him involved to take some pressure off the ground game.
4. Look for the Texans to focus on stopping the run: Houston matches up well with Tennessee's receivers thanks to quality cover corners and will likely devote extra defenders to stopping the run by sliding a safety up into the box. In Chris Johnson and LenDale White, they are facing a potentially more dominant run game than they did against Thomas Jones in Week 1. Houston's defensive linemen need maintain gap control if they want to control Tennessee's running game.
5. Matchup to watch: Houston RDE Mario Williams vs. Tennessee LOT Michael Roos. Williams has become one of the more complete DE packages in the entire NFL. He is equally adept at stopping the run as he is when rushing the passer. He brings a good combination of size, strength and athleticism. Roos has quietly become one of the elite left tackles in the league and how well he contains Williams will have a lot to say about the outcome of this game.
6. Tennessee will roll coverage to Andre Johnson's side to try and shut him down: After giving up 363 yards to Pittsburgh's passing game, we can expect the Titans to do everything possible to shut down Johnson. If the Titans can control the stud WR and limit his touches, they feel like they can match up with Houston's other weapons one-on-one.
7. Expect the Titans to bring a blitz-heavy package: We can count on Tennessee's defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil to do his due diligence when it comes to studying the Jets-Texans matchup. He will note the problems the Houston offensive line had trying to adjust to the active defense New York threw at them. With the limited mobility of Schaub, Tennessee will want to bring heavy pressure on obvious passing situations.
8. Tennessee needs to run the ball effectively: Johnson and White combined for a total of 85 yards on 23 carries against the Steelers, but they couldn't count on the ground game in crunch time. The team only picked up two first downs on the ground against Pittsburgh. Houston won't be as stingy against the run, so we can expect the Titans to pound the ball early and often.
9. Look for Tennessee to make Houston one-dimensional by taking away the ground game: This is crucial because Houston needs to be able to run the ball effectively in order for their play-action fake to work. It's also challenging to win road games by throwing when you're down late.
10. Another matchup to watch: Tennessee DC Cortland Finnegan vs. Andre Johnson. Johnson is almost impossible to shut down one-on-one; Finnegan will have his hands full. He's not the biggest CB in the NFL, but he is skilled and physical. Defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil will likely roll coverage to help Finnegan over the top but there will be plenty of situations where he will be lined up in single coverage.
Prediction
Houston 17
Tennessee 23
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=290920010
