NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans are currently riding the high of an upset victory against a division rival last weekend in Houston. 

Will Levis is looking sharp under center and the Titans seem to be finding their groove. But now Tennessee is looking to build on their momentum and pull off another upset against the Washington Commanders in Week 13. 

The Commanders have lost three one-score games in a row, but are still favored by 5.5 points over Tennessee. 

If the Titans want to pull out another one and win back-to-back games for the first time since November 17th, 2022, they'll need to follow the blueprint laid out by Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.

“It’s an excellent challenge. They’re really stout inside," said Quinn when previewing the Titans' run defense in a press conference earlier this week. "I thought, honestly, their whole defense has really played tough. They've played well on third down… The linebackers can get downhill. I've been very impressed about what I've seen so far from them. They got good size inside, mixed between four down and five down. So for sure, [it’s] a challenge.”

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Titans Run Defense

It's no secret that Tennessee's ability to stop the run is a strength of this year's defense. Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat set the tone on the interior and cave in rush lanes between the tackles.

The Titans have held their opponent to 20 points or less on three different occasions this season. All three times it was a result of Tennessee shutting down the opposing primary running back. 

Against the Dolphins in Week 4, De'Von Achane had 15 yards on 10 carries (1.5 y/a). Against the Colts in Week 6, Trey Sermon had 29 rushing yards on 18 carries (1.6 y/a). And when the Titans beat the Patriots by a score of 20-17, Rhamondre Stevenson was bottled up for 16 rushing yards on only 10 carries (1.6 y/a).

You can even look at last week. While the Titans did not hold Houston to 20 points or less, Tennessee won the game 32-27 while limiting the damage Joe Mixon was able to do on the ground. Mixon finished the day with 22 yards on 14 carries…that's 1.6 y/a. Noticing a pattern?

When the Titans stop the run, the rest of the defense falls in line. That's going to be critical this week. Titans head coach Brian Callahan was asked on Friday what other teams have done to the Commanders to slow them down on offense and create this three-game losing streak. Callahan's attention was also on stopping the run. 

"I think teams have done a good job of keeping their run game in check. Their run game has been good, especially when it's driven by Jayden [Daniels] and all the things he can do with the ball in his hands," said Callahan. "People have settled some of their stuff down in that regard."

Quarterback rushing yards have been a problem for Tennessee all year. The Titans nearly gave up 100 rushing yards to Drake Maye…so it's scary to think about what Jayden Daniels might do to them. Linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jerome Baker will need to step up. 

With Austin Ekeler ruled OUT with a concussion, it will be Brian Robinson Jr. and Jeremy McNichols (Titans legend) as the running backs for Washington on Sunday. There's a chance Robinson is still less than 100 percent with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice earlier in the week. That will also be something to monitor. 

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