The Titans face the best running back in the NFL this Sunday when LaDainian Tomlinson comes to town. LT has torched the Titans in their last 2 meetings. In 2004 LT had 147 yards and a touchdown. Last season he had 2 touchdowns in a game where he probably could have scored about 6 if they would have kept him in there.
Now this Titans defense is better than either of those were, but they have struggled against the run over the last month. Most of that was without Albert Haynesworth, but last week, even with him clogging up the middle, they gave up 86 yards to Ron Dayne on 18 carries. You may or may not be aware of this, but The Dayne Train is not LT.
How do you stop LT? The best way to stop him is to have success on offense. Getting out to a big lead on Sunday would force the Chargers to abandon the running game and put the ball in the hands of Philip Rivers.
The most important thing defensively for the Titans to do is get him on the ground when they have the chance. They have to resist the urge to take a shot at him that will get them on SportsCenter. If they try to do that he will make them miss and break off a big run. Getting LT on the ground is about wrapping him up and getting multiple people to him.
What do you think? Does the fact that the Titans are facing LT this week wake you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, or do you have confidence that this defense has the personnel and scheme to stop him?