Calvin Ridley is becoming focal point of Titans offense

The Tennessee Titans' dismal season continued this past Sunday in Los Angeles, as they were decisively beaten 27-17 by the Chargers. There was some hope that the return of starting quarterback Will Levis could spark something, but it was ultimately to no avail.

A big part of why the Titans have been disappointing this season is because some of their big-money offseason acquisitions have yet to meet expectations. Calvin Ridley has been at the center of that discussion, as he has had a rough start to his tenure with the team, and weeks ago, took out his frustration in a profanity-laced postgame press conference.

Most recently though, things have been better for Ridley, as he has strung together three consecutive impressive performances. Of course, that is not enough to declare the signing a success, but at the very least, it is a few steps in the right direction as things stand.

Calvin Ridley is looking to finish 2024 season strong after stacking strong games

Ridley's first few games in two-tone blue were borderline anonymous. Disregarding a strong Week 2 performance versus the New York Jets, he was borderline invisible in several other games, registering just 141 receiving yards through his first five 2024 appearances.

One of those games was directly out of the bye week, when he had zero catches on eight targets, which led to his aforementioned press conference rant. Things looked to be reaching a boiling point at that time, and he did not exactly help his case the next week in Buffalo, a game in which he dropped several easy catches.

Ever since then, however, the Titans have gotten much more out of their prized $92 million receiver. It started two weeks ago in Detroit, and even though the team was blown out 52-14, he had a tremendous statistical day with 10 catches for 143 yards.

Ridley followed that up with five catches for 73 yards in last week's home overtime victory over the New England Patriots. Against LA on Sunday, the former first-round pick had five catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a huge explosive play that showcased everything the Titans expected when they signed him.

Ridley has 20 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the past three outings. That represents significant improvement from the previous six, where he had only 12 catches for 183 yards and one receiving score.

In Tennessee's most recent three games, Ridley has had no fewer than five catches or eight targets. Head coach Brian Callahan has clearly made Ridley a focal point of the offense since the bye week.

It's also worth noting that prior to the game in Buffalo, Ridley had an alarming number of targets that were deemed uncatchable. Some self-reflection was needed as well, with Ridley struggling with drops, but the past few games have provided legitimate reasons to believe that he is finally finding his groove and can sustain it.

Ridley can't singlehandedly flip the outlook on the Titans' 2024 season, even if he continues to play well, but it is still notable going forward. Establishing a connection between Levis and Ridley is important down the stretch, and even if most do not believe in Levis' chance to become the franchise quarterback.

If Levis is replaced in the offseason, having a proven wideout in place can only help the next quarterback. Ridley will attempt to continue building momentum against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.

The Titans badly need Ridley to pan out even if it really does not change the outlook of the 2024 season.