Tennessee Titans: Instant analysis of Week 4 win over Atlanta Falcons

Here’s some instant analysis from the Tennessee Titans’  24-10 Week 4 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Tennessee Titans (2-2) came into Week 4 needing a win in the worst way, and they came through to avoid a 1-3 start with a 24-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons (1-3).

Now for the good stuff, and there was a lot of it in this game for the Titans.

Offense

-Man oh man, did Marcus Mariota look like a totally different quarterback in Week 4. Yes, he had more time in the pocket than he’s had all season long, but the Titans QB also looked decisive and confident. He got the ball out quickly, he was accurate, and his pocket presence was sensational.

-The Titans offensive line had easily its best game of the season. Tennessee saw its group upfront not allow a single sack and the O-line gave Mariota time to throw when the play design wasn’t for the Oregon product to release the ball quickly. Mariota also helped out the O-line’s cause by throwing the ball away to avoid sacks on numerous occasions.

-Nate Davis did get some snaps, but still took a backseat to Jamil Douglas overall. The only hiccup I noticed was on an RPO where he let a defender get right through and Mariota was forced to throw it away, which led to an intentional grounding.

-Titans receivers finally woke up in Week 4. A.J. Brown totaled two touchdowns in the first quarter, and Corey Davis had one himself. Both Davis and Brown finished with over 90 receiving yards, and for Davis that was his season-high. The strike to Davis and Brown’s second touchdown were particularly nice throws by Mariota.

-With a lead in the second half and the passing attack hitting a wall, the Titans ran Derrick Henry – and ONLY Derrick Henry – wild, which led to the Alabama product finishing with 100 yards for the first time this season. That’s how the Titans need to be closing out games.

Defense

-The Titans secondary is so good. Any time you can hold Julio Jones to 52 receiving yards and no touchdowns in a game, that’s a job well done. Jones was non-existent on Sunday.

-One concern was Falcons tight end, Austin Hooper. He finished with 130 yards through the air and was all over the place. Fortunately for Tennessee, Atlanta simply couldn’t finish a drive to save its life.

-The Titans were in Matt Ryan’s face all afternoon. Tennessee totaled five sacks and 12 QB hits. That’s a far cry from the donut in the sack department that the Titans posted last week. An even better takeaway is that Harold Landry came alive with a pair of his own, and Jurrell Casey got on the board for the first time this season.

-Tennessee’s run defense limited Atlanta’s run game to just 58 yards in total, 18 of which came from the legs of Ryan. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith combined for just 39 yards on 14 carries.

Coaching

-It didn’t end up affecting the game for the Titans, but head coach Mike Vrabel’s decision to go for it on fourth down up 24-10 in the fourth quarter instead of a chip shot field goal was awful. Take the points, go up by three scores and don’t let the Falcons have any hope. Vrabel is not making good decisions on fourth down this season.

-After having a dreadful game in Week 3, Arthur Smith was on the money in Week 4. Mariota obviously benefited from great protection, but the Titans offensive coordinator did a great job getting the ball out of Mariota’s hands. And, with a lead late, he pounded the ball with Henry to close this game out.