Week One Woes

We see it year after year. The Titans defense has a stellar performance but the offense cannot hold up their end of the bargain. What turned into a field goal fest early was always going to turn into a doom and gloom afternoon for Tennessee in the House of the Rising Sun. The offense could be described in one word - anemic.

So much hype surrounded DeAndre Hopkins’ premiere in two-tone blue, and, although he had a decent outing with 7 grabs and 65 yards on 13 targets, Ryan Tannehill stole the show in the worst way possible. His high school-esque stat line of 16-for-34, 198 yards, three interceptions, and a horrifying 28.8 QBR would get most of us fired in our day-to-day, commoner jobs. Witnessing putrid numbers like these would make any fan, unable to watch the game, assume the offensive line was the star antagonist in Tanny’s demise. However, the boys up front held up decently well. It was far from a flawless game in the trenches as their veteran QB was sacked multiple times, but they played well enough for the Titans to move the ball and win the game. King Derrick Henry had a quiet 119 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches, but his inability to get in the end zone made him a forgotten commodity for most of the day.

Kicker Nick Folk undoubtedly deserves the game ball for the Tennessee locker room after he went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts including a kick from 50 yards. Folk was traded for at the end of the preseason - thank you, New England - and his impact was immediate. In recent years, the Titans have lacked stability from their place kickers. Nick Folk extending his streak of made kicks under 40-yards to 65 in a row yesterday is all you need to know about his consistency.

On the defensive side of the ball, the big uglies showed up and showed out. Big Jeff Simmons, Denico Autry, and Arden Key combined for an impressive four sacks. Derek Carr in his first game as a Saint also had issues getting comfortable in the pocket all afternoon. Kevin Byard led the way with nine tackles and was ROBBED of a fumble recovery for a potential touchdown that shifted the balance of the contest. Safety Amani Hooker came up with a massive interception at the end of the 1st half to secure the lead at the half.

The defense continued to hold up all game, but another costly INT thrown by a QB we are all ready to move on from proved too much for the D to withstand. A short 33-yard field for the Saints late in the 3rd quarter led to the only touchdown of the entire, God-forsaken game, and proved to the game winner as NO took their first lead of the day at 16-9.

The Titans had opportunity after opportunity in the fourth to score, but errant throws and offensive miscues proved to be the differences. Five field goals in a game won’t cut it, boys. This week, Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly will go back to the drawing board to try to stir up some magic for Week 2’s matchup at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

AFC South scores

Titans 15
Saints 16

Jaguars 31
Colts 21

Texans 9
Ravens 25

AFC South Standings

Jacksonville (1-0)
Titans (0-1)
Indianapolis (0-1)
Houston (0-1)