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Welcome back to Tales of the Titans! This is year 3 of the Tales, my 5th year covering Tennessee, and the first season under new coach Brian Callahan. Today was a rough one, as the boys blew a 17-0 lead to ultimately lose 24-17 to the Bears, but it wasn’t as bad as the scorecard indicates. Is a game like this normal for a new regime? Yes. Can they even it out next week? Of course, but will they have to right their wrongs soon? Absolutely. Let’s see how the Titans truly did in Callahan’s coaching debut.
Title Photo: Frederick Breedon / Getty Images
Game Recap
The Titans started off the game slow, trading punts with the Bears, but had an electric first half on the back of new RB Tony Pollard. The former Cowboy had 9 carries for 64 yards and a TD in the first two quarters, a good sign in the post-Derrick Henry era in Nashville. Second year QB Will Levis was solid in the first half as well, with a nice touchdown pass to breakout candidate TE Chig Okonkwo. The defense was rock solid all game, and didn’t allow any points until the closing stages of the second quarter.
Then halftime came, and it all hit the fan for Tennessee. A blocked punt touchdown for Chicago was the start of the Titans' downfall, as that made it 17-10. The Bears hit a field goal to make it a 4 point game. Right after getting the ball back in a key drive, Levis was strip-sacked, leading to another field goal. On the very next possession, Levis threw a pick six on a very rookie-like pass, making it 24-17. That was pretty much it, aside from a last second interception from Will that sealed the Bears victory.
Game Observations
The defense was lights out
Number 1 pick and preseason ROTY favorite Caleb Williams had a mere 93 passing yards. The whole Chicago offense had just 148 yards and didn’t score an offensive touchdown. They showed up and did their job in a major way.
The offense has major kinks to work out
Aside from Pollard looking great in his debut, the offense has a long way to go. Star wideout DeAndre Hopkins had just one catch, but he missed most of camp and all of the preseason with a knee injury he suffered in early August. Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd need to pick up the slack if this side of the ball is going to play up to Callahan’s standard.
Levis needs to calm down
Will the Thrill had a rough game, but hold your horses with the hate; he is still the man in the Music City. He has a rocket arm, great athleticism, and is an absolute dawg on the field. His biggest flaw right now is his desire to play hero ball. Levis needs to let the system that brought Joe Burrow to stardom come to him and trust Callahan. This could take some time, but in a couple weeks, we could see the Will Levis breakout that Titans fans have been waiting for.
Stats and Fantasy
Will Levis: 19/32, 127 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 2 INT, 4 rush 26 yards. 6.68 fantasy
Tony Pollard: 16 carries, 82 yards, 1 rushing TD, 3 catches, 12 yards. 18.4 fantasy pts
Calvin Ridley: 3 catches, 50 yards, long of 22 yards. 8.0 fantasy pts
Chig Okonkwo: 2 catches, 15 yards, 1 receiving TD. 9.5 fantasy pts
Titans D/ST: 0 TD’s allowed, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery 7.0 fantasy pts
Final Thoughts
This is a tough loss to stomach, but at the end of the day it’s still just Week 1. The Bengals looked awful and they are still AFC contenders. The Ravens lost and they are still considered the top team in the AFC North. The sky isn’t falling. The boys in the Two-Tone blue do need to play better offensively, but the offense is a new unit and will take a bit to build in-game chemistry. Give it some time for them to gel while the defense holds it down on their side of the ball. Next, the Titans are back in Nashville to take on Aaron Rodgers and the NY Jets, which is a huge test for Tennessee’s new-look offense. Until next time, #TitanUp!
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