![]() Furthermore, it uses an off-the-ball defender - Ja’Whaun Bentley (#8) in this case - reading the running back. The Patriots are using a mix between a standard 3-4 Bear front and a so-called Tilt formation on this particular play: a somewhat symmetrical 6-1 look that gives the defense flexibility to stop the run to either side by using contain players on the edge, but also filling all the gaps inside the box. Just take a look at the following play from the game against Atlanta to see New England’s run defense in action: If they do all those things at a consistent level, they should be good. The Patriots cannot allow to run themselves out of position, fall for play-action shots, or get moved off the edge against zone blocks. The key word for New England is discipline. The task sure projects to be a challenging one for Tennessee’s offense, especially considering that the Patriots held the Falcons to only 40 rushing yards last week.Įven with the injuries Atlanta’s offense is not on the same level as the Titans’, but the fact remains that the Patriots know pretty well how to counter an outside zone-based rushing attack such as Tennessee’s. With Henry as well as fellow running back Jeremy McNichols out, the team will turn to Dontrell Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman (and possibly practice squad back Rodney Smith) to shoulder the load against a New England run defense that has played some very solid football as of late. Furthermore, the majority of the production has come with Derrick Henry in the lineup: Henry gained 937 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns before a broken foot forced the Titans to send him to injured reserve earlier this month. While those numbers surely are impressive, they do not tell the whole story.įor starters, Tennessee’s -6.5% run-game DVOA is ranked just 15th, while the team’s 4.2 yards per carry are ranked only 18th in the league. The Titans enter Week 12 ranked second in the league in rushing attempts (340), fourth in rushing touchdowns (16), seventh in rushing yards (1,419), eight in rushing EPA (-0.044). They get different combinations in the running game, and they’re all pretty effective.” They employ a fullback, too, Carter, Blasingame. He’s not an O-lineman, but he’s sort of an O-lineman. “They’re a good run-blocking line,” Belichick said. Be disciplined in the running gameĮarlier this week, Belichick praised the Titans for their ability to move the football on the ground and create space with their offensive line. The key to stopping this Tennessee offense, though, is stopping the run - even without reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry available. It also likes to turn to spread formations when taking to the air. Just like Atlanta’s offense, the Titans’ also is built around the run game with play-action concepts sprinkled in. So, what are those similarities? It all starts with the ground game. You can certainly relate something this week that you’ve talked about in the previous week, and players have a re-call picture of what you’re talking about.” “I think it speeds up the communication process. “There are some similarities,” Belichick said earlier this week. Head coach Bill Belichick said so himself, when acknowledging that playing the Falcons in Week 11 should help the team transition into its preparation for the Week 12 game versus the Titans. In turn, the Patriots should have a pretty good idea of what they will be up against. The philosophical similarities between Smith’s offense and the one run by his successor, Todd Downing, are apparent. ![]() ![]() Former Titans coordinator Arthur Smith, after all, is now the head coach in Atlanta - coaching a Falcons team that played the Patriots just last week. NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC.The New England Patriots are no strangers to the Tennessee Titans offense, despite not having played the team in two years. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated.
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