Tillman Offense vs Nashville Defense
The Force is 1-3 lifetime against the Rangers, the only win coming in the 2005 season when the Rangers went 2-14. Tillman defeated Nashville by 18 points in both of their last two meetings including week 9 of this season. That game included 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns
At the helm of the Tillman offensive juggarnaut (#3 in scoring with 31.6 pts per game) is QB David Garrard who threw for 21 tds and only 5 ints for the top TTFBA rating of 124.3. However, he is brittle (3 durability), so he only had 197 attempts which was half the attempts of the average top 10 QB. His most rewarding pass catchers were WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (86 catches, 13 tds) and TE Kellen Winslow (5 tds). WR Dwayne Bowe (55 receptions, 3tds), acquired in a trade that should be the prototype when taking advantage of new owners, rounds out the target rich environment for Garrard.
Although the Nashville secondary doesn't boast any players above a 7 rating, they managed to rank fifth against the pass (183.3 yds per game). And they play in a division where they must face the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Matt Hasselbeck. The defense is in the top 3 of interceptions (27) and sacks (43). Still, Garrard exposed weakness in the Force pass defense in week 9 by throwing for 4 tds and only 1 int.
Though Tillman may've scored more touchdowns through the air (29 vs 23 rushing), it is the ground game that's the pulverizing force of their offense, rushing at a clip of 167 yds per game. A corral full of backs led by LenDale White runs behind one of the top offensive lines in the league. This ground hog game faces one of the best run defenses in the Force who have allowed only 80 yds per game and 3.5 yds per rush this season - 2nd in the league. Both their base and nickel defenses have the highest rated set of players against the run than any other team in the league. The Rangers' Ronnie Brown averaged 6.5 yds per carry against Nashville in their regular season game but none of the bulls in the corral were able to score a TD.
Advantage: Tillman. They simply have too many weapons for Nashville to contain.
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