Titans are 10-5 after the loss vs Packers.
The Tennessee Titans played one of the best teams in the NFC on Sunday in a game that never felt close.
This team is not looking great right now, and they only have a week to find answers before the playoffs start and every game truly matters. There were several things wrong with the team in this game, and a few of them stood out more than others.
The first half was an awful start for Tennessee, as they were down by 19 almost immediately. However, the Titans scored once before the half and once with the first possession of the second half in an attempt to make this game seem close.
Unfortunately, the rest of the game consisted of almost nothing positive for the Titans, as they would not score again. The Packers displayed a sense of urgency when the Titans could not and finished the game on the win-loss column’s bad side with a 26 point loss. With that being said, here are the three things I took away from Sunday night’s game.
Tackling in the snow is hard to do, especially for the Titans
The Tennessee Titans played in snow conditions on Sunday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. For all of the talk about how cold weather is Derrick Henry weather, it is also true that snowy weather is Green Bay Packers weather.
While it does get cold in the winter in Nashville, that cold is different. It does not snow a whole lot in middle Tennessee, let alone at Nissan Stadium. But as coach Vrabel among other players, stated- It was not the cold that affected their play.
Adoree Jackson got the most attention for his missed tackles, but they really came from everywhere. It seemed that it took twice as many Titans to take down Packers’ ball carriers than when the tables were turned and it was Green Bay’s turn to make tackles.
If Tennessee wants to make another run in the playoffs, this defense has to step up, and it starts with the little things.
The offensive line has to be better before playoff time
The offensive line was not very good in this game. While they did an “okay” job at their run blocking, it seemed as if Tannehill never had enough time in the pocket. Ryan Tannehill took some big hits in this one and even made some bad plays due to the line.
While Tannehill only took two sacks for 17 yards, he was pressured all night. This may have influenced their gameplan a bit and forced Tennessee to continue to run the ball when they needed to throw it. Yes, there have been many things wrong with the offensive line this season, but it has to be cleaned up before the games really matter.
No pass rush, whatsoever
The Tennessee pass rush may be the biggest of problems this whole season, mainly because every issue comes back to them. If something else is not working, the reason maybe because of the pass rush. Some players have played well on the defensive line, like Harold Landry, but nothing truly has been generated well enough.
Even with the moments we have seen from Landry, he cannot do it all. Especially when you consider how many snaps he is playing currently and what they are asking him to do aside from rushing the passer. The man has to be worn out.
In this game, there was one sack. Wyatt Ray was able to get to Rodgers and bring him down once, but that is it. If someone was to look at the box score, they might think that Aaron Rodgers is as mobile as Lamar Jackson. This is an emphasis going into the draft.