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Wednesday, December 8
War Room: Raiders at Titans

The War Room

Oakland offense vs. Tennessee defense
The Raiders are almost clinical when they execute and are disciplined within Jon Gruden's offensive system. Gruden's offense is predicated around running the football, knowing that the passing game will feed off a strong running attack.

RAIDERS OFFENSE

Ranking in the NFL:
Run 1

Pass 13

Tot. Yds. 5

Scoring 25

Int's allowed 10

Sacks allowed 37

TITANS DEFENSE

Ranking in the NFL:

vs. Run 13

vs. Pass 24

Total yds. allowed 13

# of Ints. 8

# of Sacks 42

Turnover differential +6

The Raiders currently lead the league in rushing yards per game, and the entire offense is clicking because of it. Gruden seems to have found the perfect combination for using Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman. The plan is a simple one -- run Wheatley between the tackles to wear down the front seven, forcing the opponent to pack it in, then strike with either the play-action pass or an outside run with the speedy Kaufman.

The Raiders could present the Titans with some problems on this side of the ball if Tennessee does not rededicate itself to an aggressive style of play. The Titans lost all focus defensively last week against the Ravens when they got beat one time down the sidelines. The Titans defense is only successful when it packs it in and attacks the line of scrimmage. The Titans do not have great personnel at the linebacker or secondary positions, but the scheme and disciplined play has taken a lot of pressure off certain individuals.

Tennessee is in an interesting predicament against a diversified Oakland offense. The Titans cornerbacks, Samari Rolle and Denard Walker, are solid in coverage, but they might have some trouble with the speed of the Raiders receivers. The answer is going to be up front, where Tennessee knows that it is capable of penetrating Oakland's offensive line, especially with an aggressive blitz package. The Titans are going to have to disrupt the Raiders up front by creating communication problems.

The interesting matchup to watch is going to be defensive end Jevon Kearse working on Oakland left tackle Lincoln Kennedy. The Titans usually like to work on one side to split two lineman and force the offense to pick up the blitz with a running back. Kennedy is the team's most solid offensive lineman, but the veteran faces a steep task when he lines up against the rookie Kearse, who has burst onto the scene as a playmaking defensive end.

This matchup is critical because of the importance of pass protection in the Raiders offense. Oakland is only successful moving the ball when quarterback Rich Gannon has time to throw, and Kennedy is going to have to be more agile if he is to win the battle to the corner against Kearse off the edge. The one advantage Kennedy has is his experience, which will bode well against the Titans' aggressive defensive scheme that attacks offensive tackles with a blitzing outside linebacker to free up Kearse off the edge.

Tennessee offense vs. Oakland defense
Individual matchups are going to play the most critical role when these two units square off.

TITANS OFFENSE

Ranking in the NFL:
Run 19

Pass 17

Tot. Yds. 20

Scoring 26

Int's allowed 11

Sacks allowed 19

RAIDERS DEFENSE

Ranking in the NFL:

vs. Run 8

vs. Pass 19

Total yds. allowed 19

# of Ints. 17

# of Sacks 10

Turnover differential +4

Oakland cornerbacks Eric Allen and Charles Woodson are fully capable of taking the Titans wideouts out of the game in single coverage. Tennessee has struggled throwing the ball outside, mostly due to quarterback Steve McNair's inability to connect on the timing routes in the intermediate passing game.

Tennessee's running game, averaging just 99 yards per game, has been a major disappointment -- but it's the passing game that is taking away from the production of the entire offense. McNair is not getting the job done, and the entire offense is struggling because of his inefficiencies. The Titans have a strong running game, with one of the league's top runners and lead blockers in Eddie George and Lorenzo Neal respectively, but teams have too much information on this offense not to stop the run.

The Titans' play-calling is predictable and unimaginative, leading teams to overcompensate in the middle of the field to take away the tight end in the passing game and giving the defense numbers against the run. The Raiders are going to show a classic eight-man front on first and second downs. Strong safety Anthony Newman is going to be more active near the line of scrimmage than normal, helping linebacker Sam Sword against the run.

Sword has earned the spot as the team's weakside linebacker, but he has had some trouble when teams run right at him. The Titans are going to come out and establish the offense to neutralize the speed of Oakland's defense, so it is going to be crucial that Sword plays with better leverage and can hold his ground in run defense, even with help from Newman to his side.

The bottom line is that Oakland will smother the Tennessee offense, creating number advantages against the run because there is no fear factor when McNair is throwing the ball against the Raiders corners. McNair has been effective throwing the ball underneath, but it has done little to back defenses off.

The only matchup that the Titans will be able to exploit is when linebacker Greg Biekert is responsible for tight end Frank Wycheck in coverage. Beikert usually draws the assignment on opposing tight ends in coverage, but he has had some trouble this season, most notably against Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez. Wycheck is the team's most reliable receiver, and does most of his damage when put in motion off the line of scrimmage. Biekert is going to have to be active in the middle against the run, which could present the Raiders with a problem when Wychek delays his release and stretches the middle of the field off play action.

Special teams
Michael Husted is having a roller-coaster of a season, connecting on just 20 of 29 field goals, with a long of 49. Darrien Gordon has been a boost to the unit, averaging 10.5 yards per punt return on 30 attempts. Oakland's coverage units could use some work as they rank in the bottom third in both punt and kickoff coverage, allowing 10.7-yards per punt and 22.3-yards per kickoff.

NFL RANK

Category OAK TEN

Punt return avg. 10 14

Kickoff return avg. 26 27

Opp. punt return avg. 23 7

Opp. kickoff ret. avg. 21 17

Time of possession 2 12

Tennessee's Craig Hentrich has been a solid punter for the special teams' unit this season. He is averaging 43.0 yards per punt, and has landed 27 of 69 attempts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Derrick Mason has been flashy this season as the team's punt return specialist, averaging 9.5 yards per return with one touchdown.

Key matchups

Raiders WR James Jett vs. Titans CB Denard Walker
Walker has been matching up with team's No. 2 receivers most of the season, and will draw coverage on the speedy Jett. Jett has made a presence in the deep third, taking advantage of teams in man-to-man coverage. The Titans like to run a lot of single coverage on the outside, because it allows their safeties to be more versatile. Strong safety Blaine Bishop is usually the help man to Walker's side, but he has been late getting in position in the deep third. This matchup will be interesting because Walker will be forced to play more soft coverage than usual, which means that Jett is going to have to make himself more of an option underneath in the passing game.

Raiders T Lincoln Kennedy vs. Titans DE Jevon Kearse
Kennedy is the team's most solid offensive lineman, but the veteran faces a steep task when he lines up against the rookie Kearse, who has burst onto the scene as a playmaking defensive end. This matchup is critical because of the importance of pass protection in the Raiders offense. Oakland is only successful moving the ball when QB Rich Gannon has time to throw, and Kennedy is going to have to be more agile if he is to contain Kearse off the edge. The one advantage Kennedy has is his experience, which will bode well against the Titans' aggressive defensive scheme that attacks offensive tackles with a blitzing outside linebacker to free up Kearse off the edge.

Titans TE Frank Wycheck vs. Raiders MLB Greg Biekert
Biekert usually draws assignment on opposing tight ends in coverage, but has had some trouble this season. Wycheck is the teams' most reliable receiver, and does most of his damage when put in motion off the line of scrimmage. Biekert is going to have to be active in the middle versus the run, which could present the Raiders with a problem when Wychek delays his release and stretches the middle of the field off play action.

The Raiders will win if ...

Linebacker Sam Sword does a better job of stacking against the run. Sword has earned the spot as the team's weakside linebacker, but he has had some trouble when teams run right at him. The Titans are going to come out and establish the offense to neutralize the speed of Oakland's defense, so it is going to be crucial that Sword plays with better leverage and can hold his ground in run defense.

Safeties Anthony Newman and Eric Turner pinch inside, taking away Tennessee's underneath passing game. Since the return of McNair, the Titans have been trying desperately to work their timing routes to the outside of the field, but to no avail. The Raiders have two of the best cornerbacks in the league and should be able to take the Titans wideouts out of the game. It is going to be critical for the Raider safeties to take away the middle of the field, where the Titans are successful throwing to their tight end and backs when McNair is improvising.

The offense takes advantage of red zone opportunities. This has the looks of a low-scoring, defensive battle, which means that the offensive opportunities could be scarce. The Raiders have been sporadic inside the redzone this season, and need to be able to run the ball with more consistency when they get closer to the goal line. The Titans have been living on a "bend, but don't break" performance from their defense for most of the season, which means that Oakland is going to have their work cut out for them in the red zone.

The Titans will win if ...

McNair takes more shots to his outside receivers down the field. The Titans have been working a lot of timing routes, but have not stretched opposing secondaries much down the field. As a result, teams have been pinching inside and equipping themselves better to stop the run. McNair, even if not successful, needs to take some chances down the field to work the safeties off the line of scrimmage and place some fear in the defense of the Raiders to force them to play more honest.

Center Kevin Long protects his offensive guards in their matchups against DT's Russell Maryland and Darrell Russell. Maryland and Russell are one of, if not the best, defensive tackle tandems in the league, and usually require all three interior lineman to block them. The Titans will need Long to play with his head on a swivel Sunday, helping out the guards when he is left open and the Raiders do not blitz his gap. Long has done a good job moving into the starting role, but the Titans need him to improve his awareness.

Safety Blaine Bishop is more active in run support. Bishop has not been as big of a presence for the Titans as he was earlier in the season. The defense is predicated on how well he reacts to the play and gives help either to his corners in coverage or up near the line of scrimmage in run support. The Raiders are going to look to establish the run to neutralize some of the pressure that the Titans can put on the offensive line in pass rush, so it will be extremely important for Bishop to be active close to the line of scrimmage.

The War Room edge
Because of the Tennessee loss and Oakland win this past week, this game is now listed as a "must-win" for both franchises. Tennessee and Oakland are currently trailing the respective leaders in their division by two games in the standings with only four games left on the schedule. Although this is not a division game, a loss for either team would take them out of the divisional race, and possibly the playoffs.

This game is going to be a defensive struggle, featuring two offenses that have some firepower, but have been marred with inconsistencies. Even though it is a road game for Oakland, Gruden has his team playing disciplined and inspired football. With a veteran leader at quarterback, the Raiders pull out the road-victory in what should be a thrilling Thursday night game.

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