The Titans and Chargers lock horns at Wembley this Sunday (photo credit: Los Angeles Chargers).
Titans and Chargers set to light up Wembley
By Jimmy Whitehead
The Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers compete in the second game for the NFL international Series at Wembley on Sunday. The Titans have lost their last two games but lead a surprisingly weak AFC South division with a 3-3 record. The Chargers are 4-2 in the AFC West, one game behind the impressive Kansas City Chiefs.
New Tennessee Head Coach Mike Vrabel had a good start life as a HC. after four games they sat at 3-1, which included impressive wins against both of next week’s London visitors, Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles and Lombardi trophy hopefuls Jacksonville Jaguars.
The team are in a two-game losing streak at the moment, the last of which was 21-0 blowout against the Baltimore Ravens at home in which quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked an alarming 11 times. The Titans offense produced less than 200 total yards.
The Nashville based team are one of two teams that haven’t scored over 100 points since the start of the season. This could be a problem for the Titans as the Chargers are one of the higher scorers of the NFL, outscoring Tennessee’s highest points total this season in four out of six games.
The impressive offensive line from last year has disappeared and turned into a revolving door. Which in turn has made the running game non-existent. An injury to Mariota’s hand hasn’t helped. The injury may still be affecting the former Oregon Duck.
Although Tennessee’s offence has struggled the defence has been doing well only conceding average of 17 points per game. They have a strong cornerback partnership of Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan who also played together at the New England Patriots. The Titans defence has produced 13 sacks so far this season with defensive tackle Jurrell Casey leading the way with three.
The Chargers come into Wembley on a three-game winning streak. Quarterback Philip Rivers has been playing some of his best football of his career and Los Angeles are keen to capitalise on their franchise signal caller’s peak years. The 36-year-old has been hard to contain since the start of the season averaging over 280 passing yards this season and throwing 15 touchdowns. The 15-year veteran has also thrown just three interceptions.
The emergence of running back tandem Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler who are on par to beat Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara’s dual running back record from last year, have helped Rivers ease the pressure of past years of throwing risky plays when the team was behind. Gordon has already found the end zone nine times this campaign (six rushing, three receiving) giving a team often associated with the pass a dominant run game.
defensively, the Chargers were one of the strongest going into the season but injuries to key players have meant they are not at their best. Defensive end Joey Bosa remains sidelined with a persisting foot injury. His absence has weakened the pass rush for the Chargers. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year will be eager to return sooner rather than later and pick up his partnership with fellow pass rusher Melvin Ingram.
Speaking of impressive defensive rookies, the Chargers first round pick Derwin James is leading his team in tackles and sacks through the first six weeks. The Safety from Florida State has been an ever present in LA’s secondary and could be an early contender for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Its hard to believe that the Chargers are only one win ahead of the Titans going into the game with the contrasting forms of the two teams. The Titans offensive woes need to be addressed quickly before they get left behind. If they don’t, then the Chargers could coast to victory and another one-sided game could be on the cards at Wembley.
