Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and left tackle Taylor Lewan reacted to Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue’s cheap shot.
During the Tennessee Titans’ Week 12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, it was clear that left tackle Taylor Lewan was a target of some Jaguars defenders.
Lewan took two cheap shots from two different defensive players on the Jaguars during the 42-20 victory.
The first came from Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who took a shot at Lewan’s ribs but wasn’t flagged for his dirty hit. The other was courtesy of defensive end Calais Campbell, who hit Lewan after a play later in the game and received a penalty for it.
.@YannickNgakoue’s unnecessary shot to @TaylorLewan77’s ribs. #Jaguars-##Titans. pic.twitter.com/qDq7bsGy29
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 25, 2019
After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked if he saw it, per Paul Kuharsky.
"“Sure did. The only people that didn’t see it were the seven officials out there, so, again, I appreciate him (Lewan) keeping his composure, but everybody else saw it except for the guys that could potentially do anything about it.”"
As Vrabel pointed out, Lewan was able to keep his composure after both cheap shots and didn’t retaliate, which is definitely a sign of progress based on what we’ve seen from him since his return from a suspension.
Lewan himself didn’t make a big deal about it after the game.
"“Anytime you get in these division games, it’s football. They don’t like us and if you’re coming at me trying to get me out of the game, I take that as a compliment.”"
Not only did Lewan keep his cool, he was also able to avoid penalties altogether. After compiling nine in his first six games of the season, Lewan didn’t have any in Week 12.
The dirty hits are frustrating for sure, but in the end the Titans got the last laugh.
Tennessee crushed Jacksonville where it mattered and embarrassed its division rival. The Titans win also effectively ended the season the Jags’ season, which makes the victory even sweeter.
Tennessee can now look ahead to a Week 13 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts that will determine second place in the AFC South.