3 Tennessee Titans with roster spots on the line vs Jacksonville Jaguars
By Will Lomas
RB Dion Lewis vs Dalyn Dawkins, Kenyan Drake (potential trade) or Jeremy McNichols
Guys, we have to talk about this right. This is two weeks in a row where Dion Lewis has come in and the offense has come to a screeching halt.
Again, everyone is ready to put it on Mariota but don’t for get that the opening drive of the 2nd half from the Titans was:
-Mariota 7-yard run
-Henry up the middle for 5-yards
-Mariota to Corey Davis for 25-yards
-Mariota finding DPI and throwing it to Jonnu Smith drawing the flag.
–Derrick Henry 1-yard rushing TD
All of that but the last play came out of 2TE sets with Henry offset Marcus Mariota and the Titans just rolled with play actions and RPOs.
The next drive turned into a field goal and then the drive after that started out great. Mariota and Henry marched the Titans down the field to end the 3rd quarter and then the 4th quarter started and Lewis started coming in and getting carries.
That drive ends in a missed field goal, the next snap continues the mix of Lewis and Henry for a 3 and out, as does the next one.
Because the Titans offense tried to be “balanced” with their snap count and use Lewis in certain situations, they lost what was working for them: Henry behind Conklin and Mariota with the ball after play action.
If the Titans are insistent on breaking this up, then they need a running back who can come in and be a difference maker. So far through two games I can point to two specific plays where Lewis has cost the Titans a touchdown or at least a trip to the redzone.
Against the Browns, Lewis dropped a screen pass with no one around and with room to run and blockers to follow. Versus the Colts, Lewis missed an assignment on Justin Houston that left Mariota with no room to escape a sack from Denico Autry. On that play he was locked in on Corey Davis who was coming open for a TD as he was sacked.
If Lewis is dropping passes and missing in pass protection, what is he even doing for you? Maybe there is a team out there like the Patriots or Rams that can use him in a unique way and get him going, but right now this isn’t working and it is actively hurting the team.