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Tennessee Titans game rewind: Week 5

By Will Lomas

Oct 11, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey (99) reacts after a defensive stop against Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey (99) reacts after a defensive stop against Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tennessee Titans have had a very fun and interesting offseason so far. New GM Jon Robinson has brought in big names that fit this team and he made a blockbuster trade to grab an extra first round pick in 2017.

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However, it is easy to forget that the reason Jon Robinson’s had the tools to make these moves is because the Tennessee Titans had the worst record in the NFL last year. That allowed them to make a splash in the offseason and set them up to have several new starters.

So, while there is a lot of room for optimism, fans need to be sure that they know what did and didn’t work last year and what Mike Mularkey might be looking at in terms of making changes.

I thought a good exercise would be to go back week by week and take a look at exactly what made each game. The good and the bad all coming together in one post where you get a snapshot of what this team should have done and who should have been replaced this offseason.

So, with that out of the way let’s take a look at the game film.

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    • Week 5 vs Buffalo Bills

    Good

    -I always comment about how good Marcus Mariota looks, and I will continue to do so if my memory is correct because he had a great year last year regardless of the fact that he was a rookie. However, this was even a more impressive game for Mariota because he got a chance to use his legs in key situations. He actually led the team in rushing with nearly 50 yards, including a 22 yard run.

    -Avery Williamson had his first really good game of the year here. He ended up leading the team in tackles and solo tackles, including a sack showing why I am pretty high on him. I think he and Wesley Woodyard are a great combo in this Dick LeBeau system because both are very good readers and blitzers.

    -Jason McCourty looked very good at times, and if he can come back just a little bit better than this he will clearly make a splash this year in a weak unit.

    -Of course the trio of Derrick Morgan, Jurrell Casey and Brian Orakpo make the defense really fun to watch. The three had 10 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 TFLs between them and Seantreal Henderson will be having nightmares about those pass rushers.

    Bad

    -The Tennessee Titans were immediately bailed out by the refs after Bishop Sankey fumbled the ball on the opening kick return. This is a big reason why I said that the Tennessee Titans should think hard about putting Derrick Henry back at kick returner in year one. You need someone who is sure handed (which he was at Alabama despite the lack of receptions) and who is going to go north and south.

    -This isn’t really good or bad, but LG needed to be upgraded badly last year. You can see it all game, there is no push there. Even when Taylor Lewan works on double teams, there is no push which kills what should be big openings in the run game.

    -The running game just has to be better in 2016. Marcus Mariota can’t lead the team in rushing unless he has a huge gash like he did against Jacksonville where he ran for 87 yards in one scamper. Even if the holes aren’t as open as they should be, this was a 14-13 game where a good running back lowers his head and grinds out some really tough yards.

    -No one made the tackle when they needed it most, on 3rd and 23 inside Buffalo’s 10-yard line the pass rush flew by Tyrod Taylor as he ran for 24 yards, which was just a killer. Add a horse collar penalty from Zach Brown at the end of the play and the defense essentially gave the Bills a win after such a great performance all day.

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    Summary

    Honestly, this one hurt a little to watch. Everything is going on all cylinders, but little things stopped very promising drives. Honestly, I felt the same thing watching it live as I did watching it on tape, it felt like the Tennessee Titans were dominating. It felt like they were up by 20 points heading into the 4th quarter with how bad they were beating them on a play-by-play basis, but those little things ended up killing the Titans.

    This was a game that if they played it 10 more times they would win every one, but that isn’t important. What is important is that, the 2016 Tennessee Titans should absolutely win a game like this. With a better running game, this game is over by the third quarter and the Titans stand at 2-2 heading into week 6. The quarterback play and the defense were both there, but they let the Bills hang around too long and it bit them.

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