The Tennessee Titans needed a win in the worst way in Week 2, and they got just that with a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium.
The most important development from the win was the bounce-back showing from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was public enemy No. 1 with the fanbase going into this game.
Buy Titans TicketsNot only did Tannehill play well, he was a key cog in the winning effort.
Tennessee’s win on Sunday wasn’t just big for their playoff chances — 0-2 teams have an 11.5-percent chance to make the playoffs, whereas 1-1 teams have a 41.8 percent chance — it also snapped an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season, getting the team back on the winning track.
Tannehill’s rebound was just one of the biggest takeaways from Sunday’s game. Let’s see more on that, plus what the other five were.
Ryan Tannehill rebounds
Titans fans breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday when Tannehill showed vast improvement and was a key player in the Titans’ victory over the Chargers.
Tannehill was much more decisive and made better decisions, and he was even able to connect on a pair of deep balls that shifted the momentum and led to a pair of touchdown drives. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over.
Making his showing even more impressive was the fact that the offensive line did him no favors in pass protection (more on that shortly).
There are still some things to clean up, like Tannehill holding on to the ball for too long, but there’s no question he took a massive step in the right direction in Week 2.
Now, he’s got to string together multiple performances like the one on Sunday. Until he does that, we can’t declare him fully back just yet.
Treylon Burks sparked the offense
After a dreadful first quarter and a lifeless effort from the offense, the Titans desperately needed a spark. Thankfully, Tennessee’s young receiver, who was quiet in Week 1, was able to provide it.
Burks torched cornerback Asante Samuel down the sideline on Tennessee’s first drive of the second quarter for a 70-yard completion that finally got the offense going and led to the team’s first touchdown of 2023.
Multiple Titans wide receivers had big catches in Week 2, but considering how things were going early on, Burks’ might’ve been the biggest.
The offensive line BARELY did enough
There’s no denying the offensive line wasn’t good in Week 2, as Tannehill was sacked five times and dealt with pressure for much of the afternoon.
However, it’s important to add a little context to the offensive line’s showing.
The group was without arguably its best player in rookie Peter Skoronski, who was forced to miss the game because of an appendectomy. I expect things to improve once he returns.
The Titans started the wrong guy at left guard in Xavier Newman, which was quickly corrected in the second quarter by inserting Dillon Radunz into the lineup. He wasn’t great, but his entrance no doubt stabilized things.
And, this was a very tough matchup, with the Chargers sporting two very good pass-rushers in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Bosa notched a pair of sacks but Mack was held without one.
Despite all the negatives, Tannehill had enough time to make plays on Sunday, including a pair of big completions that went for 70 and 49 yards, both of which changed the course of the game for Tennessee.
There are still plenty of things to clean up, and the offensive line’s job won’t get any easier in a Week 3 matchup with Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns.
But it’s hardly time to jump ship after one good and one bad performance from the group upfront to start the season.
The defense was good considering
The pass-rush wasn’t as good as it was in Week 1 and the secondary still allowed too many big plays, but Tennessee’s defense was able to hold a talented Los Angeles offense to 24 points, which proved to be enough.
Bear in mind, Tennessee’s secondary was short-handed and this was a very difficult matchup.
But the defense as a whole was able to make big plays in key spots, with Harold Landry’s sack late in the fourth quarter and Sean Murphy-Bunting’s pass break-up in overtime being among them.
All things considered, you can’t ask for much more than what the defense gave on Sunday. There will be better days, and if the offense can continue moving in the right direction and the defense can stay healthy and do its thing more often than not, Tennessee is going to win a lot of games in 2023.
One thing that didn’t fall off in Week 2 was the run defense, as the Chargers were only able to muster up just 2.9 yards per carry. It’s incredible just how automatic Tennessee is at stopping the run these past few years.
Nick Folk is money
The veteran kicker made both of his field goals in Week 2 and is now 7-for-7 on the season. He’s hit a 50-yarder, a game-winner and he’s had no issue with touchbacks on kickoffs over his first two games with the Titans.
The Folk hero has stabilized the position for Tennessee, and then some.
Ryan Stonehouse's big leg comes up huge
When the Titans’ offense struggled to put drives together, Stonehouse’s big leg was able to flip the field, with the second-year punter averaging an impressive 61.2 yards per punt.
This has become the norm for Stonehouse during his young career, but we can’t let that allow us to become numb to just how special he truly is.
But if there’s any fanbase who won’t allow that to happen, it’s the Titans’.
