Titans Chargers Playoff Preview

The Tennessee Titans will travel to San Diego to play the San Diego Chargers in a AFC wildcard playoff game. This will be a rematch of a game played earlier this year in which the Chargers edged out the Titans in overtime. The game was one of the most physical games played by the Titans in quite some time. The Titans had a lead going into the fourth quarter before allowing the Chargers to come back in overtime. What are the keys to a Titans victory in the wildcard game? Here are a few points to consider.

Anytime you talk about beating the Chargers you must talk about stooping LaDainian Tomlinson or LT as he is known. Tomlinson is one of the best running backs in the NFL if not one of the best running backs of all time. He has amazing speed and creates lots of problems for opposing defenses. The Titans did a decent job of containing LT for three quarters in their first matchup. In the fourth quarter though LT ran for lots of yards. The Titans must find a way to contain LT and limit his big runs if they hope to advance past San Diego.

The Titans must find a way to get offensive production. In their first matchup with the Chargers the Titans scored 17 points, however they squandered several scoring opportunities early in the game. Tennessee will have to find a way to score some points. They depend heavily on their running game and will need to get lots of production for it in this game. Lendale White and Chris Brown got off to good starts last week against the Colts, but struggled after the first quarter. The Tennessee wide receivers played well in their most recent game against the Colts. The question will be who will throw to them. Will Vince Young be well enough to start or will the Titans have to depend on Kerry Collins to lead them. Young re injured his quadriceps int the final regular season game against the Colts. Kerry Collins, their backup, did a decent job filling in for Young, but Collins lacks the mobility that Young has. Tennessee will be a much different team on offense if Young can not go.

Tennessee's defense seemed to dominate the Chargers for the first three quarters in early December. Philip Rivers was on his back constantly and even had to leave the game briefly due to an injury. The Titan defense will have to deal with playing on the road in San Diego. If Pro Bowlers Kyle Vandenbosch and Albert Haynesworth can get pressure on Rivers again, the Titans will have a great chance at beating the Chargers. Time will only tell if Haynesworth will be 100 percent, but you can bet he will be out their on Sunday.

The Titans need to get off to a good start in this game. They are playing on the road in what will be a hostile environment. They are a young team and the Chargers have been here before. If the Titans can get some early points and have some success, they can take the crowd out of the game and then will have a chance at winning their first playoff game in over five years.