The Oakland Raiders came to Nashville yesterday to dance with Music City’s own Tennessee Titans. It was billed as a battle of potential dark horses in the AFC. When asked who could spoil the Patriots’ party atop the AFC, many a pundit predicted either of these two teams. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time the Titans opened a season with such a big game. The last one I can remember is 2009, when the Titans traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers – a game they lost in overtime.
So, yeah – I get why a lot of people around here were putting so much stock into this game. Plus, it was also our first glimpse at what the Titans would look like in game action. So, let’s get to it! A few quick observations on yesterday’s game:
What Went Wrong
I’m a ‘bad news first’ kind of guy, so let’s start with what went wrong. Namely, as a whole, tackling was putrid. Tony Romo, a pleasant surprise on color commentary, was nice in attributing the Titans inability to tackle to Marshawn Lynch and Amari Cooper being elite athletes. But, the Titans didn’t fail to tackle just those two. They failed to tackle a lot of people.
Also, Marcus Mariota didn’t play particularly inspired football. He rushed for a touchdown, but failed to throw one, and when the game got into crunch time, he looked a little rushed and rattled. Mariota threw Delanie Walker out of bounds on what would’ve been a sure touchdown if he’d thrown it just a few inches inside. He overthrew a couple of other receivers on the same drive….a drive that could’ve put the Titans back into the game had they scored a touchdown.
Mike Mularkey calling an onside kick to start the game that the Titans didn’t recover and directly led to a Raiders touchdown certainly didn’t help either.
The crowd was pretty atrocious, too. Remember when the Preds went on that magical Stanley Cup run and everyone said, “oh the Titans would attract this type of crowd if they won.” No. Dead wrong. There were far too many Raiders fans in that stadium yesterday, and the Titans are a LOOOOONG way away from producing any sort of atmosphere similar to what the Preds have put in place at Bridgestone Arena.
What Went Right
The rookies looked good. Corey Davis, without a single preseason game and very limited practice in the offseason, showed up and looks like he’s already becoming Mariota’s favorite target. But, with LeShaun Sims’ injury, it meant Adoree Jackson would get the start. The Raiders tried to pick on him, but Jackson stepped up and broke up a few passes. He got off to a shaky start, but settled in nicely. Jayon Brown looked promising as well.
On a day when the Titans could not run the ball effectively, nor did they really stick to the run, Derrick Henry still looked pretty good, averaging 4.2 yards per carry on six carries. It might not tell the whole story, but again, this is the Titans eye test…it’s all about how things looked on the field.
This is not as it should be
I thought the Titans were supposed to be about running the football and stopping the run???? They failed to do either. Also, wasn’t this team one of if not the best red zone team in 2016? When the field shrank, so did the Titans yesterday. This is like the exact opposite of last year. Things, indeed, are not as they should be.
The Titan Killer
Seth Roberts struck again! I’m not sure if he has a personal vendetta against the Titans or what, but he always makes his presence felt against them. Yesterday, he recorded one catch for 19 yards. But, it just so happened to go for a touchdown, one that ultimately iced the game for the Raiders. I’m not sure why anyone would sell their soul just to beat the Titans every year, but if this keeps up, people are going to need something to chock his success against the Titans up to. I’m saying some sort of pact with the devil.
The Bigger Picture
They say these types of games come down to a select few plays, and that’s true of yesterday’s. Mike Mularkey made a decision to attempt an onside kick to start the game. The Raiders recovered, and drove the ball 50 yards to score a touchdown, and the Titans were chasing that seven points for the entire game. In hindsight, it’s easy to say that was unwise. The Titans are not built to score quickly, nor are they built to come from behind. They were forced to operate out of their comfort zone, so yeah, maybe not the best call. But, at the same time, Mularkey understood and respected
The second play game when the Titans committed a penalty that gave the Raiders enough yards to kick a 50+ yard field goal instead of forcing them to punt. But, you can’t be too discouraged about your Titans. It’s not like they played horrendously.
That’s the weirdest part of this game. The Titans didn’t run the ball well, they couldn’t tackle anybody, Mariota didn’t play too well, but they still had a chance with only a few minutes remaining in the game. It’s as if they just weren’t themselves – some sort of team for a parallel universe or The Twilight Zone or something. Plus, with a healthy Derek Carr, the Raiders are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
There’s no reason whatsoever to panic yet.
.gif City
Check out Adoree Jackson’s long jump:
Adoree Jackson is the most athletic human on the planet @LacesOutShow pic.twitter.com/Sw9iyWF3di
— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) September 10, 2017
And, sadly (if you’re a Titans fan), Marshawn Lynch making Jurrell Casey look like a chump:
Marshawn Lynch knocking over 305-pound lineman Jurrell Casey. Wow. pic.twitter.com/s54q1UDj8U
— Raider Nation Boston (@RaiderNationBOS) September 10, 2017
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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