Tennessee’s defensive anchor aims to neutralize Philadelphia's dual-threat weapon by collapsing the pocket and forcing the mobile signal-caller to win strictly through the air.
The Tennessee Titans are preparing to face a dynamic offense in the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.
There is the tough task of stopping Saquon Barkley. Then, the Eagles also have a solid receiver in DeVonta Smith.
Plus, there's the reliable offensive line they've had even after Jason Kelce has retired.
There's also quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is the main cog in the infamous tush push play that the Eagles have become known for.
People are already doubting the Titans' offense, but the defense will have its hands full, too. A prediction was made that the Titans would score zero points in Week 2.
He can hurt a defense with his arm and his legs. It's what has made him a good quarterback for so long.
Hurts had a good game against the Washington Commanders in Week 1. He threw for 203 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also had seven rushes for 46 rushing yards.
He is by no means an easy quarterback to gameplan for.
Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons will be one of the first lines of defense in stopping Hurts and keeping him contained.
Simmons believes he has a good plan for the Titans to follow to stop Hurts. Various players spoke to the media in the locker room after Wednesday's practice.
For Simmons, slowing down Hurts comes down to keeping him contained in the pocket and making him be a quarterback and not a runner.
"Yes. I mean, no matter if you on the same page, you turn on the tape Jalen Hurts is gonna get out the pocket," Simmons said. "Even when you're really good against him. So, we got to do a good job of making sure one, we are on the same page rushing together, and when he do get out the pocket, we just need to run. It's not one of them things where you give up on the play just cause he get out the pocket. I mean, he's a good runner for a reason. He got a strong lower body to where he could break the tackles, but it's up to us to play with the effort and our standard in our room."
This Sunday will be the first time that the Titans have faced the Eagles since that infamous game in the 2022 season. The Titans were fresh off trading receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The two teams met that season in Week 13 in Philadelphia. The Eagles handed the Titans a 35-10 loss.
To make things worse, Brown led the Eagles with 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He then did a celebration where he pretended to spank the goalpost with his towel to symbolize his feelings toward the Titans.
Brown is now with the New England Patriots and has reunited with Mike Vrabel. Still, the Eagles are going to be a tough team to beat.
If the Titans can keep Hurts in the pocket, we'll have to see if they can make things interesting.
Kickoff is Sunday at noon CT on Fox.
