Sam’s Week 1 Titans Reaction
A team that fought the Denver Broncos last season and lost a close 20–12 season opener got absolutely demolished by the New York Jets after an offseason filled with positive moves on all fronts for the Titans.
The first half was an abysmal outing by the Titans offensive line. Cam Ward barely had any time to breathe and was continuously forced out of the pocket. Stats from the first half that stood out included Tennessee’s total offensive yards at 55 and just 8:48 in time of possession.
Standouts for the first half for Tennessee?
The Good: Anthony Hill Jr. stood out with 11 total tackles (2 solo), and we also saw Femi Oladejo flying around and helping the defense with 3 tackles.
The Bad: We saw special teams uncharacteristically have some bad outings, with the opening kick out of bounds and even one of the Titans’ own running into Chimere Dike on a punt return. Even Tommy Townsend was struggling to keep his punts out of the end zone.
The Ugly: The offensive line didn’t protect Cam at all. Our defensive line generated almost no pressure. A squad of absolute monsters that should be a top run-stop defense got absolutely shredded.
Second Half Woes
The Titans received the opening kickoff of the second half, rallied on a solid couple of throws and run plays, and then stalled to punt the ball.
3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter: the Titans begin driving and we see a little spark out of Tony Pollard with 2 runs for 15 yards total. Ward then missed Tajae Spears on a wide-open dump route. Cam Ward runs out of bounds to kill the drive and bring out the punt unit. Boos were rampant from Titans fans, and rightly so.
Even with the defense holding the Jets to punts, the Titans couldn’t escape 3-and-outs and barely escaped a safety on more than one occasion in the 4th quarter.
Breece Hall gradually continued to chip away at our defense and accumulated a total of 102 yards over the course of the entire game.
With 5 minutes left, the Titans offense took the field after a Jets FG and put together the only successful offensive drive, which ended with an 11-yard TD catch by Elic Ayomanor.
The Titans would not see the field offensively the rest of the game.
Positive Spots from Titans Game 1:
- Rookie Anthony Hill Jr. led the defense in tackles with 15 total (2 solo).
- The Titans tried an onside kick and nearly got it.
- Not skunked: Elic Ayomanor put 6 on the board for TD #1 of the season.
I recently published my Titans Season Record Prediction, and I’m afraid a 6–11 season may be generous for this Titans squad based on Game 1. If this same team plays every game this year, the Titans may lose every single outing.
In the postgame press conference, Paul Kuharsky described the Titans’ performance as “lifeless,” and I have to agree. Head Coach Robert Saleh didn’t make excuses for his team, saying, “When you lose, you’re a loser.”
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