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Titans receiver Deandre Hopkins celebrates after catching a pass for a first down yesterday vs. the Colts.
Photo: Michael Conroy / AP
They say divisional matchups can make or break your team's season, no matter the sport. It may not break the Tennessee Titans season yet, but they started out divisional play on the wrong foot, losing to their rival, the Colts, 23-16 yesterday afternoon in Indianapolis.
Game Observations
Deandre Hopkins and Ryan Tannehill already have elite chemistry. The new duo went off, with D-Hop totaling 140 yards on 8 grabs, but no touchdowns, which was a theme for the whole offense. They only mustered 1 TD all day, on a creative play call for rookie running back Tyjae Spears. Speaking of Spears, he is the most dynamic playmaker on this offense. He had 7 carries for 34 yards, and 4 catches for 35. Every time that he touches the ball he has the ability to make something exciting happen, and outside of Treylon Burks (who was out again), There is nobody else on the team with that potential. The defense struggled vs the run for the first time all season, and part of that was the fact that big nose tackle, Teair Tart was out with an injury. Zach Moss had his way all game, with 164 yards and 2 TDs. That is inexcusable from a defense-first team. Do I have confidence that Mike Vrabel will figure it out? 100% yes. But, the margin for error is small, especially in a packed AFC where the best, and maybe only shot to make it to the playoffs is winning the division, games like this cannot happen. Staying on defense, Kristian Fulton has become a liability. I hate to say this, because I am a fan of him, but he can’t be out there. His history of soft tissue injuries is concerning, and all he has done this year is blow coverages. He may not make it to the end of the year with the team which is sad, as he had top-10 corner potential just 2 years ago.
Stats and Fantasy Tips
Ryan Tannehill: 23/34, 264 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 12 yards
Derrick Henry: 13 carries, 43 yards, 3 catches, 19 yards
Tyjae Spears: 7 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 35 yards
Deandre Hopkins: 8 catches, 140 yards
My only tip for this week's fantasy segment is to pick up Spears. The coaching staff has shown in back-to-back weeks that Spears will get the ball, and Tyjae has continually shown that he will get yards, and hopefully score more touchdowns in the future. While King Henry is still the alpha, Spears is a weapon.
Final Thoughts
It definitely was a tough loss to stomach, especially with Henry being stuffed on a key 4th-and-1 on the Titans second-to-last drive, but I’m not mad about it. These types of games happen, where you simply aren’t the better team that day, and this was the case yesterday. Tennessee looks to get back on track next Sunday, playing the Ravens in London, so make sure to break out the tea and crumpets Titans nation! #TitanUp
