The last three weeks have been rough for Titans’ fans. First, lead edge rusher and team captain Harold Landry III suffered a season-ending injury. Then the Titans lost what should have been an easy matchup against the New York Giants. Then Week 2 brought on an absolute beating at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The team feels like it’s in complete disarray. Is the season already over?
What’s Happening on Offense?
Not much, actually. There were some hopes that Ryan Tannehill would be able to return to his former self at the peak of the Titans success. So far that has not been the case by any stretch of the imagination. After two games, Tannehill has 383 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In Week 1 he looked fine, but the Bills diminished much of the hope that Tannehill could still be the franchise QB in Nashville.
Then, of course, there’s Derrick Henry. After two games Henry has rushed for only 107 yards and one touchdown. Considering that the Bills were up big early on, it isn’t surprising that Henry’s yardage has remained low. What’s concerning is the fact that he’s currently averaging 3.1 yards per carry. At least Treylon Burks has looked pretty good as a rookie receiver.
Where’s the Defense?
The defense has been the most concerning part of the team so far, and it was for most fans and analysts heading into the season. Giving up 20 second-half points to the Giants was bad enough. The Giants are still professional football players, yes. However, the team was expected to be one of the… less competitive teams this year. Then the defense went and gave up 41 points to Josh Allen and the Bills.
Changes Incoming?
Any time a team goes through moments of suffering such as what the Titans are going through, it’s easy for rumors to quickly spiral out of control. The first one is almost always going to revolve around changes in the coaching staff. However, Mike Vrabel has put those early murmurs to rest.
If I felt like there was anybody that wasn’t doing their job… we’re just not going to [fire coaches], that’s not something that’s going to happen right now.
Mike Vrabel
Behind All the Bad
Well, the offense hasn’t really looked as bad as the numbers suggest. They moved the ball well enough in the first half of the Giants game. although there was some stagnancy. 21 points is not much in the modern NFL, but it should win you most games if your defense does their job. It wasn’t a great offensive showing, but it wasn’t awful. Defensively it was awful. Then there’s Week 2 against the Bills. The same Bills that torched the 2021 NFL Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. With a minute left in the half, the Titans were only down 7-10. Much like the week before, the second half saw the defense get pummeled.
It’s Not All Bad… Yet
That’s hard to believe after coming off a 34-point loss. This is, however, the time for fans to find as many positives as possible. Ryan Tannehill has never been the quarterback that is going to bring you back from the brink of disaster. Fans know that. This offense revolves around Henry. Henry was okay in week 1, and week 2 against a very good Bills defense isn’t enough to judge him by. Not yet at least. The defense has shown in spurts that it can be a good unit. The Titans will need to bounce back against the lowly Washington Commanders, though.
Titan Up!
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