Opponent Profile: Dolphins Dan Campbell Makes NFL Coaching Debut Versus Titans' Zone Blitz Defense
By Abraham Gutierrez
After an intense two weeks, Dan Campbell is ready to make his NFL head-coaching debut when the Miami Dolphins travel to the Music City to take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 6 of the 2015 NFL season. Opening kickoff for this intraconference clash is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET from Nissan Stadium and it will be broadcast live on CBS Sports.
Titans 2015 NFL Season Record
With a record of 1-3, Tennessee sits in second place in the AFC South, but appear to be light-years away from the division-leading Indianapolis Colts when it comes to contending for a division title. Led by second-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans got the season started with a bang, blowing out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opener, 42-14 in a battle of rookie quarterbacks.
Unfortunately for those residing in The Volunteer State, that's where the positives end, as this club comes into Week 6 losers of three straight ballgames. The Titans lost to Cleveland in Week 2 by a final score of 14-28, and followed that effort with two very close defeats at the hands of Indianapolis (33-35), and fell last week at home versus Buffalo by a single point (13-14).
Titans On Offense
Offensive coordinator Jason Michael is responsible for an offense that currently ranks eighth in points per game (25.5), 13th in rushing yards (118.8), 16th in total yards (350.8), and 22nd in passing yards per game (232). Michael's scheme can be categorized as a west-coach style offense, but the ground game truly employs a running-back-by-committee approach.
Titans On Defense
Even though Ray Horton is the Titans' defensive coordinator, the legendary Dick LeBeau has his hand on everything defense related in Tennessee. The longtime (former) Steelers DC holds the title of associate head coach and is in charge of this defense.
Thus far, LeBeau's signature zone blitz approach has been able to get things going in the right direction, but there's still plenty of work to do. The Titans defense enters Week 6 ranked first in the NFL in passing yards per game (166.5) and third in total yards allowed (283.5), which are the positive takeaways for this bunch. The negatives are that Tennessee's "D" is 18th in points per game (22.8), and appears to be susceptible to the rush, yielding 117 yards per game, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.
Titans Players To Watch
Offensively, Miami will have to find a way to pressure and contain mobile quarterback Marcus Mariota. Even though Tennessee has struggled through the first quarter of the season, it hasn't been because of its first-year signal-caller. In fact, Mariota appears to be unaffected by the bright lights of the NFL, evidenced by the fact that he's the proud owner of the 11th best quarterback rating in the league at 99.7. The Oregon product enters Week 6 having completed 64 percent of his passes, going 82-for-128 for 1,020 yards, eight touchdowns, three interceptions, along with 72 rushing yards on 10 carries.
On defense, the Dolphins anemic offensive line will have to account for outside linebacker, Derrick Morgan at all times. The sixth-year man out of Georgia Tech leads the team in the sacks department (4.5 sacks), which is good enough for a third-place tie with Green Bay's Clay Matthews and Tampa Bay's Gerald McCoy in the National Football League. Last week against the Bills, the 26-year-old from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, registered three tackles along with 1.5 sacks in a losing effort. Morgan is also fourth on the team with 15 tackles and has a forced fumble to his name.
Dolphins vs. Titans 2015 NFL Week 6 Odds
According to NFL Week 6 point spreads, the Miami Dolphins [+3] will have to prove themselves before earning the respect of NFL oddsmakers. That's because the Fins will head to Nashville listed as three point underdogs versus the Tennessee Titans [-3] in the ATS betting department. Also worth noting is the projected score in this one, as the OVER/UNDER equals a combined total of 44 points between these struggling clubs.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.