Tennessee Titans vs Oakland Raiders
When the Titans meet the Raiders in Oakland we'll see a classic battle between teams which put a different emphasis on the running game.
They both play ball-control football.
Titans use a strong rushing attack.
Raiders throw short, make first downs and move the sticks.
Titans rushing game got off to a slow start but it's in high gear now.
Trending up all season (dark blue moving average line), Titans averaged 32 rushes (percentile rank, 90; 4th in league).
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Oakland finished near the top in all passing stats including our Killer Stat-Offense where they finished 4th (6.8 yards per attempt).
They lead the league in passing yards (280) and first downs passing (14.2).
And, Raiders earned a first down every
2.96 plays (2nd rank). They move the sticks.
Both teams had interesting seasons. It's curious that the AFC championship contenders suffered through terrible slumps.
After wining their opener, Titans lost four straight.
At 1-4 in week 5, they looked out of the playoffs.
Raiders won their first four, but then lost the next four. With half the season gone, a 4-4 record and riding a four-game losing streak the Raiders also looked out of the playoffs.
What happened?
Let's look at the defenses.
During the Raiders slump, they could not stop the run.
It's pictured in the chart below.
Oakland opponents averaged 38 rushes during the slump. Later, only Miami could top 30 rushes. It was the lone Raider second half loss.
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During their slump, the Titan defense could not stop the pass allowing an average of 7.9 yards per toss to their opponents as pictured in the chart below. But the Titans continually improved, finishing the season stronger than league average.
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Sunday, the Titan pass defense will be in a Raider take-no-prisoners battle led by Gannon, Rice, Brown and company.
And the Raider rush defense will have to contain powerhouses runners Eddie George and Steve McNair.
Which D can hold back the offensive firefight? The electronic hardware favors the Raiders at home by 8.
Bud Goode and Bill Sanders
Copyright 2003, BudGoodeSports.com. All rights reserved.
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