Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans, LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
Sunday, October 24, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Titans -3
Current Line: Titans -3
Opening Total: 42.5
Current Total: 43
Money Line: Titans -160 / Eagles +140
The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) will lean on starting quarterback Kevin Kolb yet again as they go for their third straight victory when they visit the Tennessee Titans (4-2) on Sunday. The Eagles are a perfect 3-0 so far this season on the road, and they have won the previous two games Kolb has started against Atlanta and San Francisco since he replaced the injured Michael Vick. The Titans (-3) are also dealing with injuries and simply hope to have a healthy quarterback under center following a huge 30-3 road win at Jacksonville on Monday night.
Tennessee starting quarterback Vince Young left the game against the Jaguars with a mild sprain in his left knee along with a sprained ankle. Veteran backup Kerry Collins then replaced Young and finished with 110 yards passing and a touchdown against the Jaguars while injuring the middle finger on his throwing hand.
Regardless of who starts, the Titans will likely give Philly a heavy dose of running back Chris Johnson, who ranks second in the NFL with 596 rushing yards and a league-best seven touchdowns after breaking the 2,000-yard mark a year ago. Johnson totaled 111 rushing yards and scored a touchdown last week against Jacksonville while backup Javon Ringer also got into the action with 42 yards on 10 carries.
The Eagles have been a bit susceptible defensively against the run this season, allowing 115.7 yards per game on the ground. However, they limited Atlanta’s Michael Turner to 45 yards on 15 carries last week thanks in part to building an early 21-0 lead that forced the Falcons to play catch-up from the big deficit for the rest of the game.
Offensively, Philly will likely be without arguably its best offensive weapon in wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who suffered a concussion on a hit by Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson after he scored the game’s first two touchdowns. Jackson is expected to miss at least one game, which means Jeremy Maclin will have another opportunity to step in to the role of top receiver.
Maclin was outstanding last week after Jackson left the game, making a career-high seven catches for 159 yards and scoring two touchdowns himself. He will try to get open against a Tennessee secondary that has given up an average of 231 passing yards per game.
The Eagles are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games during the month of October while the Titans are just 2-10 ATS in their last 12 against teams with a winning record. The OVER is 6-2 in Tennessee’s last eight October games and 22-7 in Philly’s last 29 as an underdog.
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