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Titans defenders Amani Hooker (37) and L'Jarius Sneed (38) try to stop Braelon Allen (0), from scoring in a week 2 loss.
Photo: John Amis / AP Photo
Week 2 of the NFL season marked game 1 back in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans, but the result was the same as week 1. The Titans record another rough 24-17 loss, leaving Coach Cally still in search for his first win as a head coach. While the ending was disappointing, there were plenty of positives from the day, including improvements on the offense.
Game Recap
The defense was amazing in the first half once again, holding the Jets to just 7 points after 2 quarters. The offense put up 10 points, but was inconsistent. Tennessee’s lone first half TD was on their second drive of the game, on a 10 yard Calvin Ridley jet sweep to open up the scoring for both teams. Aaron Rodgers put the Jets up to start the second half, throwing a beautiful ball to RB Breece Hall for a touchdown to make it 14-10. Another Titans special teams mishap led to a blocked punt and eventually a New York field goal to put them up 7.
Will Levis and the offense showed fight, as they battled back and he found Ridley on an amazing pass for a 40 yard touchdown to even it up. Jets rookie RB Braelon Allen scored his first rushing TD as a pro to make it 24-17 Jets with around 3 minutes to go. Levis and co. drove down to the 15 yard line (aided by a crazy scramble from number 8), but in the end, Tennessee just couldn’t get the job done. There were opportunities at the end, but spotty officiating and lack of execution made the boys 0-2 on the year.
Game Observations
The defense is a top-10 unit in the league
New DC Dennard Wilson has had the whole unit playing like maniacs these first two weeks. While there was a drop-off in defensive efficiency after halftime, they did their job and kept the team in it. The duo of DT’s Jeffery Simmons and rookie T’Vondre Sweat looked amazing, and they did a good job stopping the run (outside of a couple longer runs). New LB Kenneth Murray had a solid game as well with 8 tackles and a TFL, and EDGE Harold Landry had 2 huge sacks.
Will Levis is improving
Aside from an absolutely mind-numbing fumble/pitch to get out of a sack that left a field goal on the board, Will showed improvement. He made good decisions, showed off his howitzer of an arm, made huge plays with his legs (one looked like a play another great 8 would make, Marcus Mariota), and as always, he competed to the end. I love his aggressiveness throwing downfield, as with Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis, I was starting to wonder if QB’s could even throw past 30 yards or if it was illegal or something. While one did result in an interception, that’s fine, at least he’s taking shots. I expect him to have a signature game before the week 5 bye.
The special teams will get Ryan Stonehouse killed
The Tennessee punter lost his season last year on a blocked punt that shredded multiple ligaments in his knee. He’s now fully healthy, and has one of the best legs in the league. However a punt has been blocked in each of the first two games. The one last week was a touchdown on the return that arguably lost us the game, and the one this week led to a field goal. This is inexcusable and has to be fixed immediately. The special teams have sucked for years now, and we finally have a reliable kicker in Nick Folk, and have another great punter. Blocks are absolutely a no-go, especially considering what happened to Stonehouse last season.
Stats and Fantasy
Will Levis: 19/28, 192 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 4 carries, 38 yards. 12.48 fantasy pts
Tony Pollard: 17 carries, 62 yards, 6 catches, 40 yards. 15.20 fantasy pts
Calvin Ridley: 4 catches, 77 yards, 1 TD, long of 40. 24.70 fantasy pts
Final Thoughts
These past two weeks have been hard to stomach. The team has shown a lot of fight, but just hasn’t gotten over the hump. The continued improvement of Levis’ play and offensive chemistry will go a long way towards winning ball games. Hopefully DeAndre Hopkins is used more next week, as he is reported as fully healthy. Will needs another good option opposite Ridley.
While 0-2 is a hole, it’s not a huge one. The Bengals went to the AFC Championship game after starting 0-2 two seasons ago. It’s a tall order, but if anyone can do it, it’s Cincy’s old OC from that year, Brain Callahan. Coach Cally continues his search for his first win, as the boys in blue welcome old friend Malik Willis and the Packers into the Music City next Sunday. Until then, #TitanUp!
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