Dec 17, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Zach Brown (55) celebrates with corner back Alterraun Verner (20) after recovering a fumble against the New York Jets during the second half at LP Field. The Titans beat the Jets 14-10. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans snapped a three game losing streak on Monday Night Football this week against the NY Jets.  Don’t pay attention to the people that are saying this is the worst MNF game in history.  Disregard the fact that the Titans tried their hardest to give the game away on multiple occasions.  Pay no mind to the the slide down in draft position for the Titans.  For this is The Silver Lining, where the consummate optimist baths in nothing but good vibes!

So what good can we find in Monday Night’s game?

The Titans Won

Period.  The game was ugly, but I would rather talk about an ugly win than another close loss where the Titans did everything BUT win. In fact, many would say that the first step for a young inconsistent squad is to win ugly.  Unlike other close games this year, like the Colts and Jags the team found a way to hang in there and fight to the finish.  Now they can work on the details without the albatross of not winning over their head.  The confidence that comes from winning a game such as this can be instrumental in the progress of a team like the Titans.  Now they know they can do it.  Many fans were pulling for a Titans loss in order to stay in the top 5 for the upcoming draft, but not this one.  As ugly as it was, this is exactly what the franchise needed moving forward.

The Titans Have Heart

For the first time I can remember, I honestly didn’t know all the final active roster players for the Titans.  There were at least 3 names I didn’t recognize on the side line.

The offensive line is down to 3rd string players and signing guys off the street weekly.

The playoffs have been out of reach for two weeks and only half the home crowd shows up for Monday Night Football.

There were countless stalled drives.

2 shanked punts that gave the Jets unbelievable field position.

14 penalties for over 100 yards.

It would be easy for a team to mail it in under these conditions and just try again next year, but Munchak’s Titans fought hard.  They persevered and played through to the last minute.  Jake played hard, the receivers ran hard, and the defense played their a** off.  For all it’s flaws, this team hasn’t quit on each other or on their coach.  A very strong reason Munchak should get another chance next year.

 The Offense

The offense didn’t put forth their best showing, but let’s keep in mind that the Jets had a top 5 defense coming into the game.  They are 2nd in the league in passing defense and have held opponents to 17 points/game average in 4 of the last 5 games before Monday night.  Cj answered to the Jets field goal with a big 94 yard run, and Jake engineered a 7 play, 64 yard drive for a touchdown in answer to the Jets only touchdown.  The game wasn’t pretty, but the offense did manage to score in answer to the other team, something they previously haven’t done.

The Defense

As bad as the Jets offense is, their offensive line has played well this year.  The Titans front seven was able to get pressure on Sanchez, get 6 QB hits, and 4 sacks.  Sanchez played beyond horrible but we’re looking at the bright side here, so I’m going to give Jerry Gray and the defense a thumbs up.  They bailed out the inept offense and got a win for the team.  Maybe Gray will even stick around next year….

What did you see good during the game?

you can follow me on twitter   @gunnelsj

Dec 17, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) throws his towel into the crowd after a game against the New York Jets at LP Field. The Titans beat the Jets 14-10. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans didn’t earn their win last night on Monday Night Football, they were gifted it. The New York Jets were far from stellar, but poor punting and an ineffective offense made the Titans look terrible last night.

Jake Locker was a mixture of hot and cold, though to be fair, he was playing against one of the best defenses in the league. While he didn’t throw any interceptions, he also didn’t throw any touchdowns. He did run for one, on a great designed run. Looking at the stats, he completed 59.1% of his passes (13 of 22) for 149 yards. Some of those misses were rough though. At one point Lavelle Hawkins was wide open in the Jets secondary and Locker missed him. It was even more painful that it came on a 3rd down.

Chris Johnson has a history of struggling against the Jets, and he kept with tradition, that is if you erase his 94 yard touchdown run. He ended the night with 1 TD and 122 yards on 22 carries. Johnson’s big run was his 3rd run of 80+ yards this season and 6th of his career, breaking the record that he owns, as he has been doing all season. Hopefully that spills over into next season as well.

The Jets were their own worst enemies, specifically their coaching staff. Every time Sanchez and the offense seemed to find rhythm, he would be pulled and Tebow would be put in. They should have won the game, despite the fact that they gave up four interceptions and fumbled twice. Their defense choked out the Titans offense all game, with only momentary lapses.

The Titans defense had a good game, collecting 4 sacks, along with all their interceptions. Both CB Jason McCourty and FS Michael Griffin picked off Mark Sanchez twice. The biggest weakness they showed was at MLB, where Colin McCarthy’s presence was greatly missed.

Overall, the game wasn’t a great one. Both teams seemed to be trying to give the other team the game. A couple botched punts by Titans’ punter Brett Kern and a slew of Sanchez interceptions pretty much tells the tale.

On a final rough note, the Titans rookie WR Kendall Wright appears to have cracked some ribs during the game… And the Titans have moved back in the draft.

You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Whelp, the Tennessee Titans time to showcase their talents on Monday night has finally arrived. On December 17′th, the Tennessee Titans will host the New York Jets at LP Field at 8:20PM EST, and while this is one of a very limited number of occasions in which the franchise will get a national broadcast, you’d be forgiven for feeling less than excited.

At the beginning of the season, I was totally amped at the thought of our Boys in Blue squaring off against Gang Green. The Tennessee Titans had just come off of a 9-7 season that showed huge promise, and Skip Bayless and the rest of the world knew that Tim Tebow would be the Jets quarterback by the time this game happened. Then the season actually took place.

Both teams are nothing if not underachieving this year. The Jets currently sit at a mediocre 6-7, while the Titans are an underwhelming 4-9. To say we will have a top 5 selection this year is not a stretch (Manti Teo, anyone?). As such, instead of anticipating a smash-mouth football game, it will turn into more of a “who will suck less?” affair.

Sanchez is on pace for another 3,000 yard season, but still may be cut at the end of the season. Jake Locker has yet to throw for 2,000 yards on the season, though he did miss ample time with a shoulder injury. Jeremy Kerley and Nate Washington are the leading receivers for both teams respectively. CJ has officially rushed or over 1,00 yards again this season (making it five in a row since he was drafted; just the 8′th player in history to do that), but it can’t be said that he is dominating games like he used to; no one is going to mistake him for Arian Foster these days.

For the Gamblers among us, the Tennessee Titans are 1 point favorites heading into this game. Many analysts (such as Silver, Cole, and the gang at Yahoo! Sports) have Tennessee winning outright over the Jets, but I do expect that it will be a close game.

Injury Report:

New York Jets

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Bryan Thomas LB — Limited Participation in Practice –
LaRon Landry S — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Edmond Gates WR — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Tim Tebow QB — Full Participation in Practice –
Stephen Hill WR — Did Not Participate In Practice — Doubtful
Brandon Moore G — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Nick Mangold C — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Bart Scott LB — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Braylon Edwards WR — Limited Participation in Practice — Questionable
Joe McKnight RB — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Bilal Powell RB — Limited Participation in Practice — Probable
Ricky Sapp LB — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Jeff Cumberland TE — Participation in Practice — Probable
Sione Pouha DT — Limited Participation in Practice — Questionable
Aaron Berry CB — Did Not Participate In Practice — Doubtful
Calvin Pace LB — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Dustin Keller TE — Did Not Participate In Practice — Doubtful
Kenrick Ellis DT — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Mark Sanchez QB — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Damon Harrison DT — Full Participation in Practice — Probable
Matt Slauson G — Full Participation in Practice — Probable

Tennessee Titans*

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Scott Solomon DE — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Jason McCourty CB — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Michael Roos T — Full Participation in Practice –
Jake Locker QB — Full Participation in Practice –
Damian Williams WR — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Kenny Britt WR — Full Participation in Practice –
Colin McCarthy LB — Did Not Participate In Practice –
Chris Johnson RB — Full Participation in Practice –
Jurrell Casey DT — Limited Participation in Practice –
Kamerion Wimbley DE — Full Participation in Practice –
Michael Griffin CB — Full Participation in Practice –

*status of players currently unavailable

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