Nobody needed a good game in Week 2 more than Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was coming off one of the worst performances of his career in Week 1.
And Tannehill delivered it, completing 20-of-24 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown, while also adding a rushing score.
Buy Titans Tickets“I felt great coming into today,” Tannehill said, per Broadway Sports’ Easton Freeze. “I was able to flush what happened last week by Wednesday after I talked to you guys and have a great week of practice, got prepared and was ready to roll coming out here today.”
“Obviously I wanted to come back and play well today, after last week,” Tannehill added, according to Jim Wyatt. “I was excited to be able to do that. … And we were able to pull out the win at the end. It was a lot of fun.”
Things got off to an ominous start for Tannehill and Co., as the offense only had single-digit yardage after the first quarter. However, a deep ball from Tannehill to wideout Treylon Burks quickly shifted the momentum and Tennessee was able to score its first touchdown two plays later.
“It was huge,” Tannehill said, according to John Glennon of Nashvillle Post. “It gets the crowd back into it. It gets the sideline back into it. That sparked the touchdown, and we were able to kind of pound it in there after that play by Treylon. So, that was huge for us getting some momentum and getting things rolling the right way.”
“You could tell it was a momentum change,” Burks said. “That’s what I’m here for, to help the team make big plays and get things going.”
“We were leaking oil and we needed somebody to step up and make a play,” Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said of Burks’ reception.
The completion to Burks was one of two big plays Tannehill completed on the afternoon. The other came in the fourth quarter to veteran wide receiver Chris Moore, which ultimately aided in a go-ahead touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine six plays later.
“When you’re able to hit a chunk like that, you’re not going to have a 15-play drive to score,” Tannehill said. “You’re able to shorten the amount of plays it’s going to take you to get into the end zone and build some momentum. Hit a play like that, it opens up some underneath stuff, as well. It does a lot of things for you.”
Of course, the aforementioned go-ahead touchdown wasn’t enough to secure the victory, as the Chargers would go on to drive down the field and tie the game up, sending it to overtime.
But after a stop, Tannehill once again orchestrated a scoring drive that ended with a Nick Folk field goal to win the game. One of the biggest plays of that drive was a 14-yard completion to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
While Tannehill’s showing was just what the doctor ordered for the embattled signal-caller, now it’s about stacking good games in order to prove he’s fully back. That process begins in a tough environment in Cleveland this Sunday.
