After an embarrassing collapse in Week 1, the Tennessee Titans try and gather themselves before taking on a fellow 0-1 team in Week 2, the New York Jets.
With Aaron Rodgers under center and a formidable defense (or so the Jets thought), New York presents an even tougher challenge than the Bears did last Sunday. For the Titans to stand any chance at beating the Jets, they'll have to ensure a few things are fixed, and in a hurry.
It's hard to know where to start when analyzing the Titans' difficulties against the Bears, because there were so many things that stood out. However, when it comes down to it, the quarterback is always going to be the first one to blame.
And on that note, let's get into a few areas the Titans must fix before they take on the Jets.
If the Titans don't shore up these three items, they'll be dominated by the Jets in Week 2
1. Will Levis' snap decisions must improve
Part of being a good NFL quarterback is making decisions under pressure, and Will Levis was unable to make good ones against the Bears. This one doesn't need a whole lot of explaining. Levis' rough outing has been well-documented the past few days. He cannot afford to be putting the ball in harm's way, period.
2. Do not abandon the run
To begin the second half, the Titans went three-straight drives where they started with a Tony Pollard run, only to abandon him altogether the rest of the drive. Drive no. 4 was the only one where Pollard received multiple carries in either the third or fourth quarter.
On the Titans' fifth drive of the second half, Pollard received one carry out of four plays, and that drive ended with the interception returned for a score by Chicago.
When Pollard was getting carries often, in the first half, the offense looked a whole lot cleaner. For some reason, in a close game, the Titans opted to put it all on the shoulders of Levis. That cannot happen again. Callahan cannot afford to abandon the run.
3. Protect Will Levis
While Levis needs to make better decisions, he also deserves better protection than what he saw on Sunday afternoon. According to Next Gen Stats, Levis was pressured on a whopping 47.4 percent of his drop-backs. That's almost half of his drop-backs resulting in pressure, and it's unacceptable.
Per Pro Football Focus, both J.C. Latham and Peter Skoronski were credited with allowing five pressures on Levis. We're talking about two players taken with high draft capital, here. This cannot happen. The entire line needs to play more cohesively, but Latham and Skoronski have to be a lot better.