That's why he's called Boom King. (Mark Humphrey/Associated Press)
Run the ball. Yeah, no surprises here. The Chargers are allowing a 9th worst 117 rushing yards per game, and Chris Johnson heeds a good game to stay on pace for Marshall Faulk's record and 2000 rushing yards, and a huge game to get back on pace for Eric Dickerson's rushing record. DE Luis Castillo already says that "he's going to have a big one".
Cover the receivers. The Titans have allowed six 300 yard passers this season, and Philip Rivers could definitely be another one to reach that mark. Rivers has a 25-9 touchdown-interception ratio, and two 1000 yard receivers to throw to. With Rod Hood possibly playing in place of Nick Harper, we already have a higher shot of covering Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson to wipe the smirk off Philip Rivers's face.
Be physical. The Chargers don't like the Titans. The Titans don't like the Chargers. This will be even harder without Keith Bulluck. We need to bring out our 110% for a full 60 minutes, because we saw last week that if we let up, the other team can come right back into the game. The crowd will at LP Field will be very loud, and Vince Young is 5-0 at home this year. Even though they won't admit it, expect that the Titans want revenge for their two recent losses to the Chargers.
Limit the mistakes and force mistakes by San Diego. We can't allow the big passing plays that the Chargers like to create. The Chargers have had 24 30+ yard plays through the air this season, the third most in the NFL. They also have just 15 giveaways this year, second least total in the league, but the Titans have 25 takeaways, the eleventh most in the NFL, including 8 interceptions in the past two games. With two good teams playing, momentum will be a big part in deciding this one.
Score touchdowns, not field goals. The Chargers score an average of 27.8 points per game, fifth best in the NFL. When we get into the redzone, we need to score seven points everytime, because we know the Chargers are going to come right back. Vince Young had 3 touchdowns on Sunday of over 20 yards, a career high. The Titans need to be able to come right back when the Chargers have a quick score.