When the Vikings faced the Titans it was a match-up of two of the best young running backs in the game: Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson. As you would expect, that got plenty of publicity.
But if you were looking for the best matchup of the week, it was the Clash of the Titans when defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth lined up head-up against guard Steve Hutchinson. There may not be a better one-on-one line battle all year, as Haynesworth is arguably the best defensive tackle in the game, while Hutchinson has been considered the best guard in the league (with apologies to Eric Steinbach and Alan Faneca) for several years.If Hutchinson can't block Haynesworth one-on-one, it's safe to say that no one can. But with Haynesworth's combination of size and quickness, it wasn't clear going in that Hutchinson would be able to handle him.
On the Vikings' first play from scrimmage, Haynesworth showed just why he's such a nightmare to block. The Vikings were running away from him, with left tackle Aaron Hicks being asked to block down on Haynesworth to keep him occupied. It didn't work, as Haynesworth was significantly quicker off the ball. By the time Hicks got his hands on Haynesworth, he was already a step past him and on his way into the backfield to stuff Adrian Peterson for no gain.
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If this game was played a week later, Hicks wouldn't have been in the game, as he was filling in for the suspended Bryant McKinnie. That may have made a difference for the Vikings, as Hicks had trouble being quick enough to block Haynesworth when he was asked to block down on the defensive tackle. The next time the Vikings asked Hicks to block down on him, he again couldn't get his helmet across Haynesworth's body, and he had to tackle Haynesworth to try to block him. The resulting holding call pushed the Vikings back 10 yards
Haynesworth finished the game with three solo tackles, three assists and two sacks, but it's hard to say that he won his head-to-head battle with Hutchinson. Only two of his assists and none of his solo tackles came on a play where Hutchinson was blocking him. On one of those assists, Hutchinson actually locked up Haynesworth and stuck his block, but Haynesworth was able to get free to help out after Adrian Peterson had run past him.
But while Hutchinson did his job, the Vikings were in trouble whenever someone else was asked to block the Titans' mountain in the middle. And even with Hutchinson being more able to handle Haynesworth than most, the Vikings generally stayed away from running up the middle. Only four of Peterson's 18 runs came up the middle.
The Titans' defensive dominance may be built around Haynesworth, but he's not the only key. The rest of the defensive line is stout as well, with Tony Brown proving to be a very underrated defensive tackle, while defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch is an outstanding pass rusher who also proves to be a decent run stuffer because of his effort. Jevon Kearse still has the speed to get to the corner against tackles, but is less impressive against runs, while Jacob Ford is proving to be a very useful back-up defensive end. The one weak link right now seems to be back-up defensive tackle Jason Jones. Titans' coaches rave about Jones' potential, but he got little push against the Vikings and was noticeably ineffective when he spelled Haynesworth and Brown.
The Titans' linebackers are also solid, although new middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch didn't make a tackle on a running play, but the hidden key to the Titans' defense is the defensive backs. Cortland Finnegan is getting a lot of publicity for his four interceptions, but he's also an excellent run stuffer. He flew into the backfield on one play where he forced Peterson to completely reverse his running direction (although Peterson had the talent to run to the other sideline for a 21-yard-run), and he dove into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss on another running play.
His teammate Nick Harper also showed that he keeps an eye in the backfield. Harper made a nice solo tackle to bring down Peterson for a one-yard gain in the second quarter, as he started running to the ball just as Peterson took the hand-off.
If there is one weakness for Finnegan and Harper, a smart team may take advantage of their tendency to look into the backfield. A good play action fake could give a receiver a step or two on the duo if they read run. But no team has been able to consistently take advantage of their peeking yet.
The Vikings are supposed to have the best offensive line in the league. Admittedly they were playing without McKinnie, but watching them against the Titans, it was clear that the Titans' defensive line was the better unit. The Vikings were forced to largely get away from their strength -- the running game -- and attempt 47 passes. And on those passes, there were a multitude of three-step drops to ensure that Gus Frerotte got rid of the ball before the pass rush could get into his face.
The good news for the Vikings is that there is no other defensive line they will face this year that will cause them as many problems as the Titans. The bad news is that the Titans sunk them to 1-3, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
