Reasons to Believe: Titans vs. Chargers

Regardless of whether they have been in San Diego or Los Angeles, the Chargers have owned the Titans during their time in Tennessee

Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – If the Tennessee Titans are to turn around their season, this is the time to do it.

Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium is the first of three at home in the next four weeks and the first since coach Mike Vrabel decided to go with Ryan Tannehill as the starting quarterback. If friendly surroundings and a fresh face under center don’t get things moving in the right direction it is difficult to imagine what will.

Both teams are 2-4 with just one win in the last five weeks. One will come out of this one feeling like it still has a chance. The other one will come out of it looking toward the 2020 NFL Draft.

Three reasons to believe the Titans will win Sunday

• Slow starters: In five of this season’s six games, Tennessee’s opponent has scored first. Three times the other team has scored on its opening possession. It can be difficult to come from behind at any time in the NFL, particularly for an offense that has struggled as the Titans’ has. The Chargers, however, have faced double-digit deficits in the first quarter of each of their last two games. They had the NFL’s longest active streak of games with first-half points (55) until Oct. 6 against Denver. Last week it took more than three quarters until they put points on the board. This is one time the Titans might actually enjoy an early lead.

• Playing it safe(ty): Los Angeles placed All-Pro safety Derwin James on injured reserve in August due to a stress fracture in his foot. In September, another safety, Adrian Phillips, went with a broken arm. Rookie safety Nasir Adderley, a second-round pick, has been ruled out for this week with a hamstring injury. The starters at the back of the Chargers’ defense are likely to be undrafted rookie Roderic Teamer and third-year man Rayshawn Jenkins, who had one career start before this season. Opponents have completed 73.5 percent of their passes against that defense and any quarterback the Titans would put on the field ought to have opportunities to take advantage of a tandem such as that.

• More injuries: Two of the Chargers’ starting defensive linemen, nose tackle Brandon Mebane and defensive tackle Justin Jones, already have been ruled out for this game with injuries. Another, defensive end Melvin Ingram, is doubtful due to a hamstring issue. No Titans’ position group has struggled more this season than the offensive line. If ever that group was to hold up in pass protection and open up holes in the run game it would be against a bunch of backups and third-teamers. Wouldn’t it?

Three reasons to believe the Titans will lose Sunday

• It’s the Chargers: Since the Titans relocated from Houston, no opponent has bedeviled them more than the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. During that time (1997-present), the teams have met 11 times and Tennessee won once (20-17 in 2013). That stretch includes one of two career wins by former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf (13-7 in 1998), one playoff game won by the Chargers (17-6 in the wild card round following the 2007 season) and last year’s meeting in London, which Los Angeles won 20-19 when the Titans failed on a potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt.

• Quarterback consistency: While the Titans hope their decision to bench Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill pays off, the Chargers have no question about their guy under center. Philip Rivers (pictured) has started 214 consecutive games, the longest active streak for any player at any position and 61 games longer than the next quarterback (Atlanta’s Matt Ryan). Rivers comes into the game eighth in NFL career passing yards with 56,441 and likely will be sixth by the end of the day. He’s already sixth in career passing touchdowns 383. Tennessee is looking for something different but Los Angeles knows exactly what it is going to get from that position.

• Chunk plays: The number of big plays allowed by the Tennessee defense this season does not sit well with defensive coordinator Dean Pees. Many of them have come at decidedly critical moments. The Chargers enter this game as one of eight NFL teams with 24 or more completions of 20-plus yards, led by wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is tied for fourth in the NFL with nine, and tight end Hunter Henry, who is tied for the league lead at his position with an average of 80 receiving yards per game. The way Tennessee’s offense has played this season, one or two big plays from the other side is all that it takes.

The bottom line

This one is going to come down to the pass rush.

For the Titans, all eyes will be on Tannehill and there certainly is room for improvement at that position. But if the line can’t protect him better than it did Mariota, things won’t be any better. For the Chargers, Rivers does not need much time to decipher a defense’s coverage scheme so it is up to the four (or five) rushers to make him hurry or force him to scramble.

Whichever team disrupts the opposing passer more consistently is the one that wins.