| Matthew Gordon. 10th November, 2008 - 4:38 pm
 With 6:21 left in the second quarter of this week’s Titans/Bears game, the commentating team made an observation that was no less obvious than it was astute: “These are two franchises that are so similar in their approach to the game. Built on defense, a good ground game...”
They’ve been known for this philosophy for a while, and this season has been no different. The Titans had cruised to an 8-0 record behind the bruising combination of running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White, along with a defense that allowed a measly thirteen points per game, good for first in the league. The Bears weren’t quite so elite at 5-3, but were in sole control of the NFC North division and were enjoying the good play of rookie Matt Forte, who leads the team in both rushing and receiving yardage. The Bears’ defense was strong as usual, headed by Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown. This game promised to be low-scoring, defensively sound, and feature a constant tussle between running backs and hard hitters.
The lone concern facing the Titans this year has been the seemingly one-dimensional nature of their offense. Rushing yards of 149 per game in the first half of the season is an impressive number, and both Johnson and White have the capability to improve, but 35-year old Kerry Collins had been a stopgap solution. The controversy over when and how to reintegrate wayward quarterback Vince Young was hushed only by the team’s flurry of early wins. Fortunately for Tennessee, the Bears’ run defense has been significantly better than their pass defense, so the backs could take the brunt of Chicago’s onslaught while Collins could hopefully get some more time to make his throws.
What would happen, though, if the Titans’ incredible running game vanished?
The effect of the Bears’ defense on the Titans’ rushers was smothering. The Titans ran 29 rushing plays in the game but recorded only 20 yards (-5 yards at the end of the first half). They achieved just two rushing first downs, and their longest rushing play went seven yards. This combination of events appeared destined to end Tennessee’s winning streak and reflected well on the readiness of the Bears.
That’s why this win, more than any other, proved that the Titans can’t be stopped. Collins, although lacking the swagger and the arm of his Carolina days, demonstrated that he still has the smarts and poise to be an effective NFL quarterback. He improved as the game progressed, making it look as though the run and the pass were reversed as the Bears’ secondary became increasingly tired. The Bears held Collins to only 60 yards on his first seven completions (8.6 yards per completion), but he managed 98 yards on his next seven (14 yards per completion) and finished the game with 289 yards.
Passing to the chains is always a good idea, but it’s most important when there isn’t a guaranteed rushing attack that can pound in a few extra yards if the receiver falls short of the first down marker. In the first quarter, the Bears ensured that the Titans’ receivers didn’t get many, if any, yards after the catch, meaning that they would have to catch a ten-plus yard pass in order to come away with a first down. The completions Collins did get didn’t mean much, as they had no viable short-yardage option, and Craig Hentrich was forced to come out and punt on every drive. Even the Titans’ first foray into the red zone didn’t account for anything; in a sequence showing just how good these defenses are, the Titans intercepted Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman in the Chicago end of the field, and then Chicago came up with an interception of its own. The second pick was called back due to a convenient Titans'penalty, but the Bears had the ball again after an Ahmard Hall fumble. That marked the first time this season that Tennessee hadn’t come away with any points on a red zone possession. It made me ready to write about a Bears' victory.
If the highlight of the game for the Bears was Brown’s punishing hit on Johnson early in the second quarter that cost the Titans seven yards, the Titans could enjoy a more lasting bliss. Collins was consistently competent, taking advantage of a Bears' secondary that often left receivers wide open, failing to clamp down on them as it had done in the early going. Tennessee’s offensive line was even better, giving Collins all the time he could have possibly wanted and then more. The Bears never seriously bothered Collins, with the blitzing they did run being eaten up by the Titans’ great blocking. The result was a series of drives that put the Titans in scoring position, two of them capped by passing touchdowns and another by a two-yard slam from White.
The Titans’ defense was as impressive as ever, holding the Bears (fourth in the league in points per game heading into this one) to only fourteen points. Grossman completed only 20 of his 37 passes, and his only passing touchdown came on the Bears’ first drive of the game. While Chicago’s pass defense was deteriorating, the Titans were adjusting. Forte’s 126 combined yards (72 rushing, 54 receiving) were nice, but not enough to propel the Bears to a win.
The Titans knew that this would be a difficult game. They’d had a taste of the Packers the previous week, only barely winning the game 19-16 in overtime. The Packers have disappointed this year, already having more losses than in all of last year, so a trip to Soldier Field promised to be difficult for unbeaten Tennessee. The Bears lived up to their reputation for taking away the run, but the Titans lived up to their more important one of winning the game.
The crucial pieces – offensive line and cohesive defensive play – were there for Tennessee. The Bears’ blocking was sufficient, but their defense couldn’t come together as a whole for longer than about the first twenty minutes, and their offense was more or less putrid. Grossman’s rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter was a feisty expression of Bear-style football, but it wasn’t enough. What the Titans discovered was that any offense could be a good offense, and if it required Collins to be the star instead of Johnson or White, that would have to do.
It’s only nine games into the season, so there’s no need to be crowning the Titans with anything yet (although that division title isn’t too far off). However, the NFL’s great teams are often typified by their ability to win games they shouldn’t win. The Titans were so in love with their running game, and rightfully so, that a game in a hostile climate (literally – it started snowing) without the effective use of the backs should have spelled defeat for a team that still doesn’t know what that is first-hand. It didn’t, though.
The 4-5 Jacksonville Jaguars host the Titans next week in a game that rekindles an old division rivalry. (Well, about a decade old. It’ll be an enjoyable game.) Before this past Sunday, the Jaguars must’ve been thinking they’d be watching tape almost exclusively of explosive rushing and then trying to figure out ways to stop it. However, the Titans just showed that they can indeed win without rushing the ball effectively. Jack del Rio now has even more of a problem than he thought: how can his Jaguars stop a team that can always find a way to win? |
