The Tennessee Titans saw their first live-game action in the preseason opener on Thursday night when they took on the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
While the Titans didn’t win the game, there were definitely some positives to take from it, including the performances of some of the team’s rookies, especially quarterback Malik Willis.
Willis was among Tennessee’s biggest standouts in his preseason debut, and he managed to outperform his competition for the backup quarterback job, Logan Woodside.
While some players helped their cause, others did not. Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Tennessee’s preseason loss to the Ravens.
Winner: QB Malik Willis
Willis flashed his arm strength and athleticism on Thursday night in what was a good showing overall for the rookie.
Willis connected on a 48-yard bomb to Racey McMath, pulled off a sick sidearm throw across his body to get a first down, and he escaped the rush on multiple occasions to turn something into nothing. One of those runs resulted in a touchdown, while another went for 17 yards.
He finished 6-of-11 for 107 yards, while also adding 38 yards and a score on five carries. There were no doubt some miscues along the way, but it’s hard not to be impressed with what we saw.
Not only did Willis look like he belonged, he was better than Logan Woodside. It isn’t clear if the Titans will even allow Willis to be QB2 in his first season, but if so he took a step in the right direction to secure that role on Thursday night.
Loser: QB Logan Woodside
While Willis impressed, Woodside was on the opposite side of the spectrum. Not only did he toss a pair of picks, he also failed to lead the Titans to a single point in the second half after the rookie helped Tennessee notch 10 points in the first half.
Woodside had 13 more pass attempts than Willis but still managed to finish five yards shy of the rookie. After tonight, it’s clear Willis is the better option, but Woodside will have two more preseason games to right the ship.
Winner: WR Racey McMath
McMath emerged as a deep threat in training camp, and he continued that on Thursday night with a 48-yard reception, Tennessee’s longest play of the game. For good measure, McMath added a 30-yard kick return.
The LSU product has already done enough to warrant a roster spot in our mind. It’ll be interesting to see if the Titans have seen enough, also, or if McMath will get more looks in the next two preseason games.
Winner: P Ryan Stonehouse
The Titans might have something in their rookie punter, who had an eye-opening average of 59 yards per punt over his two attempts, which was slightly better than Brett Kern’s 58 yards per punt on three tries.
We’re not ready to say that Stonehouse will unseat Kern, but this might be closer than we originally thought.
Winner: OT Nicholas Petit-Frere
Petit-Frere started the game at left tackle with Dillon Radunz on the right side, but the moved over once Radunz was out of the game.
Petit-Frere looked more comfortable at right tackle in his debut and even had a key block that helped spring Julius Chestnut for a 29-yard gain.
Tennessee’s third-round pick certainly wasn’t perfect but he’s off to an encouraging start.
In between: RB Julius Chestnut
Chestnut led all Titans backs with 44 yards (6.3 yards per carry) on the ground, while also adding 12 yards on one reception. However, he also fumbled away a possession on just his second carry of the game, which Baltimore turned into a touchdown.
Loser: OLB Justin Lawler
Lawler was awful against the run early on, as he simply couldn’t set the edge. He also negated a huge return from Terry Godwin via a holding penalty. It was a brutal night for Lawler, who already had an uphill climb.
Winner: OLB David Anenih
Anenih led Tennessee’s defense with two sacks, one of which led to a fumble. He also added two more tackles. The 2022 UDFA greatly improved his chances of making the 53-man roster on Thursday night.
Loser: CB Chris Jackson
It was a rough night for Jackson, who got beat on multiple occasions, including for a touchdown. Making matters worse, he left the game early with a knee injury. Jackson didn’t help his standing, but the good news is pretty much nobody else in the secondary did, either.
Winner: RB Hassan Haskins
While Haskins didn’t do much on the ground (six carries, 19 yards), he was very effective as a pass-catcher, with three receptions for 29 yards, including an 18-yard grab that set up Tennessee’s lone touchdown of the game. He could have had another big reception, but it was called back because of a penalty.
We pegged Haskins to be the primary backup when the Titans need a carry from someone not named Derrick Henry, but if he keeps displaying the prowess in the passing game that he showed on Thursday night, he could carve out a role in passing situations on third downs, also.
Winner: CB Shakur Brown
While most of the Titans’ secondary depth options struggled, one who did stand out was Shakur Brown, who has done nothing but make plays since coming to Nashville.
We saw that again versus the Ravens, as Brown nearly had a pick and made a nice play on a scrambling Tyler Huntley.
Brown is quickly emerging as a player who deserves a spot on this roster, and that’s especially true after how the rest of the candidates for a depth spot in the secondary performed.
Winner: OLB Rashad Weaver
Weaver looked good for a guy who hadn’t played in nearly 11 months. The second-year pro didn’t notch a sack, but he showed good quickness and push in the pass-rush. He also did a great job setting the edge on one play, which resulted in a tackle for loss.
