What an absolute dud last week was. Complete offensive ineptitude and four missed field goals (that sent Cairo Santos packing) contributed to the Tennessee Titans losing at home to the Buffalo Bills in a game that saw Bills Mafia come in and take over Nissan Stadium.
Shame, for sure.
Maybe the Bills are better than we thought they’d be. I mean, I called ’em my surprise team of 2019 in the AFC. But, they look even better than I expected through five games. They’re one six-point loss to the Pats away from being 5-0, and even in that game, they were pretty competitive. They had a chance to drive the ball downfield and take the lead at the end of the game, but having Matt Barkley in at quarterback for the injured Josh Allen proved to be the killer.
Nonetheless, the Titans are doing some soul-searching. That’s two games already this season that they should have won, but alas, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. For a myriad of reasons, this offense is just bad. Marcus Mariota isn’t playing particularly well – he’s certainly not raising the team up around him. But, the offensive line play has been pretty atrocious so far. I also think it’s fair to criticize the coaching this season. It’s definitely been a group effort.
But, there’s no time to dwell on such things in the NFL. The Titans hit the road to play the Denver Broncos at 3:25 CST on Sunday. The Broncos are currently hovering around 2.5-point favorites at home. At 1-4, the Broncos have plenty of questions of their own.
Actually, the questions surrounding aren’t too different from the ones surrounding the Titans. Both defenses are in the top 10 in terms of points allowed. Both teams have questions at quarterback. And, neither team can really get things going so far in 2019.
For the Titans, this one’s all about the offense to me. I mean, you expect the Titans defense to play well, especially against a Broncos offense that is 27th in the league in scoring points. But, the offense has to show that it can keep up or else we’re going to be in for a long season. So, what can the Titans do to come back to Nashville at 3-3?
Derrick Henry
Look, I feel like I’m repeating myself each and every week on this piece. It feels like this team has been trying to “get back to basics” since December of 2018. But, Henry has been your most consistent offensive player for the last…what? 10 games? You have to get him going. He’s the key cog in this whole thing.
For the most part, this Broncos defense has been pretty solid against the run. But, the Titans can get creative in finding ways to get Henry the ball. Plus, Leonard Fournette‘s 225 yard game against the Broncos is encouraging. Put this one on the shoulders of your stud bell cow.
Short passing game
It sure seems like Mariota is holding on to balls way too long, looking downfield, and not finding open guys. Those plays have turned into sacks this season. Hell, a lot of plays have turned into sacks this season. I won’t put it all on Mariota – it’s fair to criticize this coaching staff’s penchant for aggressive play-calling without an aggressive quarterback. But, let’s reel it in a bit and perfect the dink and dunk game. The opportunities for big plays might not come against a Broncos secondary that is 5th in the NFL, anyway.
Make your fucking field goals
Need I elaborate here?
Get back to your bread and butter on offense…maybe that’ll kickstart the whole thing….and don’t fuck up. Boom = back to .500 for the Titans.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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