I have absolutely no idea how I feel about the Tennessee Titans going on the road with a backup quarterback, without completing a pass to a wide receiver, losing Bud Dupree during the game, and still nearly upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs as two-touchdown underdogs. The Chiefs jumped up 9-0, but the Titans settled in nicely, rattled off 17 unanswered, and were in firm control of the game until Patrick Mahomes did Patrick Mahomes things (not to make excuses, but it’s worth noting this was after Dupree’s departure) and had the Chiefs limping out of the stadium as 20-17 victors in overtime.
On one hand, it was encouraging to see Malik Willis thrown into the deep end and do the backstroke when it was sink or swim early on. Some of the things that made scouts apprehensive about him to begin with showed up in the final minutes of the game, a firm reminder that he’s still not quite ready to be starting in the NFL. That game was incredibly valuable for Willis, but it showed that if the Titans want to make a run this season, Ryan Tannehill still gives them the best opportunity to do so.
On the other hand, would it have even mattered if Tannehill was playing last night?!?! This team’s ineptitude at wide receiver has firmly bitten them in the ass. I get it – they have three guys that were supposed to be difference-makers or have defined roles within the offense that are on IR. But, the response has been signing Chris Conley. I’m not sure what the vision is at receiver, but it does not seem to be working, and this offense continues to be the limiting factor when projecting this team.
It’s the systemic failure that concerns me – the inability to push the ball down the field, paired with the play-calling that saw Derrick Henry sitting on the bench for most of the second half. I mean, maybe there’s something going on with Henry we don’t know about for which they had him on a strict pitch count. But, my point is, I don’t know that the big picture decision-making for the Titans has been all that great dating all the way back to the offseason. Now, the rooster has come home to roost…or whatever that saying is. They made the rooster’s bed, and now the rooster has come to lie in it. That’s the one.
I sound uneasy, but I still feel pretty good about that game last night. I don’t know why. It’s just the latest bit of evidence for the cultural foundation that Mike Vrabel has built here. This is a tough fucking football team. They are like The Punisher, as Zach Lyons of Football & Other F Words and A Football Show so aptly compared them to the Marvel hero last week. I think my main line on this game is that the Titans damn near did it from a position that could’ve easily seen them run out of Kansas City. There’s reason to believe that as the offense gets healthier, it should improve. They don’t need to be a top 10 unit, and while they are severely limited by their offensive line and play-caller, if they just go from the worst second half offense in the league to “not sucking,” they’ll be fine!
Takeaways
- Hats off to this defense. Those guys played their asses off for 91 (NINETY ONE!!!!) snaps last night. Jeffery Simmons was sucking wind on the sidelines last night in overtime. The Titans asked them to play pretty much a perfect game, and they damn near did so. I love the way they continue to rotate defensive linemen. Hopefully, Dupree’s injury isn’t all that serious. This is a fearsome unit when it’s firing on all cylinders.
- Props to Willis for avoiding turnovers. The Titans had no fumbles, and Willis threw 0 interceptions. There were times during that game when I thought one was coming and it would be crippling, but it never happened. By and large, Willis looked much more poised, calm, and comfortable than he did the week before.
- Containing Mahomes proved to be much more difficult without Dupree in the line up as I alluded to earlier. With Dupree out, the Titans had a harder time setting the edge and keeping Mahomes in the pocket. The results were two plays that absolutely broke the Titans’ backs – a scramble on which Mahomes converted 3rd & 17, and a successful two-point conversion. It’s lazy to put a win or a loss on one player, but in this instance, I think it’s fair to look at the before and after, and say “yeah, this might’ve been different had Dupree not been injured.”
- The Chris Conley drop was just brutal. Willis had, per my grading metrics that I just came up with, three perfect throws last night. That was one of them and it would’ve changed the complexion of the game had Conley hauled it in. Another instance of the receiver depth, or lack thereof, coming into play.
- Cody Hollister is so dedicated to run-blocking that he does it even when he should be turning around looking for the ball. I respect that, folks.
- The response to the late touchdown and two-point conversion was exactly what the Titans couldn’t do. I actually felt like Vrabel probably would’ve been okay with that drive going how it did, knowing the Titans would have about three minutes left over to pound the ball and get in range for a Randy Bullock field goal. But, you can’t go three and out in that spot, lose four yards on the drive, and chew up just one minute. That, to me, was the critical point in the game. It was Todd Downing‘s worst work of the night.
- The Chiefs were able to match the Titans physicality early on, but the more it wore on, the more the Chiefs seemed to wear down in that regard too.
Game Balls
- Kristian Fulton – Fulton was in absolute lockdown mode last night. He’s looking back to full strength, he’s running down the sideline side by side with guys. He’s blowing up passes to Travis Kelce. He’s back on track as one of the most underrated corners in the NFL.
- Ryan Stonehouse – Still a weapon. This guy’s leg is a modern marvel.
- David Long, Jr. – He plays with heart. He flies all around the field. 10 more tackles and a quarterback hit were added to his season stats last night.
- Mario Edwards, Jr. – This Titans defensive line can be lethal because of how they rotate guys and mix up alignments. Edwards was the beneficiary of that last night as he was a menace! He drilled Mahomes at one point. I thought for sure he was going to be flagged but the refs held onto it. He finished with two quarterback hits, and a sack/TFL.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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