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Photo: George Wlaker IV / Tennessean.com
Have you ever wondered what it is like to know the gameplan of an NFL team? Well, I got you covered for the Tennessee Titans. Outside run on first down for negative yardage. Halfback dive for 1 or 2 yards on 2nd and long. For third down, let's force a ball into coverage or dump it off to the back in the flat. And finally, on 4th down, let Ryan Stonehouse release an absolute bomb of a punt to lessen the blow. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that easy. Oh, and if you do end up having a lead, how about not scoring at all in the 2nd half, giving up huge plays on 4th down, and barely getting a win, along with giving your whole fanbase a heart attack in the process. Welcome back to the Tales of the Titans everyone!
Game Observations
I honestly don’t know what to say. We got the win, but almost blew the lead, and didn’t score in the 2nd half, after putting up 17 points in the 2nd quarter. I liked the play calling in the first half, and the blocking was better, as King Henry had a great day, but the whole offense struggled in the 2nd half. Robert Woods went off for 4 grabs and 85 yards, but had 0 catches in quarters 3 and 4. Treylon Burks had only 2 targets and just 1 catch. HE NEEDS TO GET THE BALL. He is the Titans best offensive player, just like AJ Brown was the last 2 years. Burks is literally a copy-and-paste version of Brown. Give him the ball, and you will win more games, please Mike Vrabel feed him. The defense had an excellent bend-but-don’t-break strategy, but gave up big plays on 3rd and 4th down late in the ballgame. That is unacceptable. Kristian Fulton played very well, limiting Davante Adams to just 5 catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. I expect him to travel with other team's WR1’s the rest of the year.
Stats and Fantasy
Ryan Tannehill: 19-27, 264 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 4 carries, 2 yards, 1 rushing TD 19.77 fantasy pts.
Gotta show love for QB1 this game, he balled out and made sure that we got the dub. With that being said he should be a backup in most leagues, I just can’t trust him from a fantasy standpoint.
Derrick Henry: 20 carries, 85 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 catches, 58 yards, 25.30 fantasy pts.
All Hail The King! The King is back! He racked up 143 total yards, on just 25 touches, and should be one of your starting running backs. I believe his numbers will continue to go up, so don’t think that this was just a fluke. Also with 5 catches, he may be utilized more often in the passing downs, so he should get even more points. Also on a personal note, Henry is the 3rd running back in Titans history to have 70 TD's, joining legands Eddie George, and Earl Campbell.
Robert Woods: 4 catches, 85 yards, 21.3 average, 12.50 fantasy pts.
I love Bobby Trees, but he should be your 2nd WR backup in your league, he won’t get as many touches and explosive plays, as those should go to Treylon Burks (go pick him up). WIth that being siad, Woods is a solid option to have on your bench, and can produce well, if you know when to use him.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 3 catches, 40 yards, 13.3 average, 7.00 fantasy pts.
I finally spelled his name correctly on the first try! Anyway, I don’t know why you would have him on your fantasy team, since he is just a role player, but hey, maybe you do have him.
Final Thoughts
Overall it was great to get the first win of the year, but I have to see them finish games. Keep up the intensity, because if you play like this against the Cheifs, Chargers, Ravens, or Bills, you are going to lose. Tennessee has to keep the pedal to the metal the whole game and keep scoring. Credit to Todd Downing in the first half for the playcalling, but man he was atrocious in the 2nd half. Please fire him I cannot keep ranting like this every week.
What’s Next
The Titans are going to have to put in a way better effort next week, as they travel to Indianapolis to play their AFC South rival, the Colts, who just stunned the Cheifs at home. I like the way the momentum is headed, but this is a big game if we want to take the division crown home.
