The Tennessee Titans return to Nissan Stadium on Sunday with a tough assignment in front of them. After opening the year with a loss to the New York Jets, Tennessee now gets the Philadelphia Eagles, who came out of Week 1 with a win over the Washington Commanders.
Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. CDT in Nashville.
Ahead of the matchup, Eagles Wire Managing Editor Glenn Erby offered a look at where Philadelphia stands entering Week 2, and the biggest early question centers on the Eagles’ offensive line. With Landon Dickerson sidelined and Drew Kendall set for his first start, Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons looms as the player who can disrupt the entire script.
The Eagles are not about to redesign their offense around one defender, but Simmons will be a problem on critical downs if Philadelphia doesn’t handle him properly. Kendall, who started 37 games at Boston College and earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2024, has some résumé behind him.
He also played 89 offensive snaps as a rookie. Even so, this is still a major jump in difficulty, and the Eagles know it.
Cam Jurgens will be a key part of helping Kendall sort out Tennessee’s fronts and pressure looks. Philadelphia can also lean on Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts on designed runs to make Simmons think twice about pinning his ears back and attacking the same area snap after snap. The goal is simple: don’t let Simmons take over early and force the Eagles into constant rescue mode.
The injury picture for Philadelphia is also worth watching. As of Thursday, none of the issues involving Cooper DeJean, Jalen Carter and Jonathan Greenard sounded like long-term concerns, and all three were expected to play.
DeJean was dealing with calf and abdominal injuries after getting banged up against Washington. Carter was practicing with a wrist injury and was expected to try to go with added protection.
Greenard, who missed the opener because of a pectoral injury, said multiple times on Thursday that he was "close." DeJean and Carter looked likelier to suit up than Greenard, though the final injury report would tell the real story.
On offense, Philadelphia has already moved on from trying to replace everything A.J. Brown brought to the table with one player.
Brown’s old role was bigger than just catches; he drew safety help, handled physical coverage, and gave Hurts a dependable target in tight moments. Without him, the Eagles have spread those responsibilities around.
DeVonta Smith remains the top receiver and Hurts’ main option, but Week 1 showed a more shared approach. Dallas Goedert finished with four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns, while Dontayvion Wicks posted 73 yards and a score on two receptions.
Barkley and rookie Makai Lemon were also part of the mix. The result is an offense that feels less centralized, and maybe a little less predictable.
The question now is who comes through when the defense knows exactly where the ball is supposed to go.
That brings the focus back to Hurts, because Tennessee wants Jeffery Simmons to keep him in the pocket. It’s a reasonable aim, but it doesn’t tell the full story.
Hurts has grown as a passer, and he showed it last week against Washington, completing 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished with a 122.2 passer rating and made several of his best throws from inside the pocket.
He also kept a key drive alive with a 22-yard scramble on third-and-18, which is exactly the kind of dual-threat problem the Titans have to solve.
Tennessee can’t afford to rush blindly and hand Hurts easy escape routes, but simply keeping him between the tackles won’t be enough. He has gotten better at reading coverages, working through progressions and taking care of the football.
The last time he faced the Titans, he went 29 of 39 for 380 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground in Philadelphia’s 35-10 win in 2022. Simmons’ approach makes sense, but Hurts has already shown he can beat Tennessee from the pocket.
If the Titans are looking for one under-the-radar Eagle to keep tabs on, it’s Dontayvion Wicks. He earned a starting job in training camp because of his separation skills, his ability to line up in multiple spots and what he can do after the catch.
Against Washington, he caught only two passes, but they went for 73 yards and a touchdown. One was a 64-yard grab that flipped the field, and the other was a nine-yard score that showed how quickly he has built timing with Hurts.
That matters because Tennessee is going to have to spend plenty of attention on Smith, Barkley and Goedert. If that happens, Wicks could find himself against a third cornerback or in coverage that tilts in his favor. And if the Titans get overly aggressive trying to stop the run, Philadelphia can answer with play-action and hit him behind the linebackers.
Tennessee’s front can still make this uncomfortable, especially with Dickerson out. But Philadelphia has the better quarterback, the better receiver group and the stronger defense, and the Eagles should be able to create enough pressure to keep the Titans from stringing together consistent drives.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Titans 13.
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