Tennessee Titans: What We Learned From Game 3
By Les Bailey
A lot off different reasons lead to the Tennessee Titans losing to the Indianapolis Colts 35-33 on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in their 2015 home opener, but the bottom line is they just lost another game.
Did the Titans become complacent with a 27-14 lead going into the fourth quarter, or did Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck just get hot at the right time?
Probably a little bit of both!
More at Titan Sized: Your weekly reminder that Marcus Mariota is great.
In his column after the game on Sunday, ESPN reporter Paul Kuharsky called it a come-from-ahead fourth quarter loss where a 13-point lead should have resulted in a Tennessee Titans win that put them atop the AFC South.
Instead, they go into a bye week where all four teams are tied 1-2 in the standings with the rest of the division playing next week, the Titans will have two weeks to think about the loss while they prepare for a much-improved Buffalo Bills team in week five.
I know that head coach Ken Whisenhunt wanted to make a statement with another one-yard plunge by rookie fullback Jalston Fowler at the end of the game, but NFL statistics tell us that league-wide, two point conversions average less tan a half a yard.
The Titans needed a whole yard to tie the score on Sunday to send the game into overtime.
The play worked three times before, and once for a fourth and one at the 42 yard line, but I still don’t understand why coach Whiz didn’t put the ball and the game in the hands of his franchise quarterback with the game on the line.
“It gets old, tight end Delanie Walker said of the refrain, which we heard last year, too, even though it didn’t ring as true. If you’re going to keep saying it and not do it, it defeats the purpose of saying it.
Walker said he has been involved with 25 losses during his time in Music City, and this was the toughest one!
Perrish Cox told Kuharsky that after the Titans got the big lead, players were laughing and dancing on the sideline. He also said it was something they should quit doing, and just finish the game.
Amen Perrish!
The big thing we learned from the ugly loss, was that the Tennessee Titans hit a home run with the selection of Marcus Mariota with the second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Mariota is the real deal, and all he needs now is for the rest of this team to get on-board and match his skills and intensity.
We have learned that 14-point deficits don’t phase him. He’s in on every drive and every play until the final horn blows.
If he can load this team on his back and take them to the promise land is still a question up for debate.
The other promising takeaway from Sunday’s game was Dorial Green-Beckham. The rookie wide receiver is the real deal as well.
There has already been a call to get him more involved in the offense, especially after catching two more Marcus Mariota passes, one for his second touchdown on the year.
He has shown us he knows how to use his size and speed to get separation, and he isn’t shy about going up and getting the ball.
Green Beckham caught two passes in the loss for 22 yards and a touchdown.
He is a big physical receiver that reminds me of Brandon Marshall from the New York Jets, and Titans fans are going to hear Mariota to Green-Beckham for years to come.
Next: Why Sunday's Ending was no Surprise