What went right, what went wrong for the Titans vs. the Packers in Week 3

It was a homecoming of sorts on Sunday for one-time Tennessee offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and former Titans quarterback Malik Willis. Both left Nashville Sunday pretty happy after the Green Bay Packers rolled to a 30-14 triumph. Meanwhile, the misery continues for Brian Callahan’s club. The Titans are off to their worst start since losing their first six games in 2009.

What went well and not so well for the Titans on Sunday

What went right: Answering the call

While there was some speculation that the Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who suffered a sprained MCL in a season-opening loss to the Eagles, would start on Sunday, former Titans signal-caller Malik Willis got the nod instead. Green Bay wasted little time reaching the end zone. Willis oversaw a 70-yard scoring drive on the opening possession, one he capped with a five-yard touchdown run.

To their credit, the Titans rebounded immediately. Will Levis connected with Josh Whyle for 23 yards on the team’s first play from scrimmage. Later, he hit veteran wideout Tyler Boyd for 20 yards on third-and nine. Tennessee was in the midst of a 10-play, 70-yard march that would consume 5:10 and end with a one-yard TD pass to tight end Nick Vannett. Levis was 5-of-7 for 59 yards and the score on the drive.

What went wrong: Reversal of misfortune

Although Callahan’s club dropped their first two contests, they managed to own the first 30 minutes of play. In the Week 1 loss at Chicago, the Titans scored the first 17 points of the game and owned a 17-3 lead at intermission. One week later in a second consecutive 24-17 loss, Callahan’s club led the New York Jets, 10-7, after 30 minutes of play. Tennessee outscored their foes a combined 27-10 in the first half.

On Sunday vs. the visiting Packers, it was the exact opposite from the first two weeks. In fact, the Titans lost both halves in terms of scoring differential. Green Bay owned a 10-point lead after the first quarter and was ahead 20-7 at halftime. Callahan’s team was outgained a combined 266-79 in total yards, and ran only 18 offensive plays. In the second quarter, Tennessee totaled an embarrassing eight yards on six plays.

What went wrong: Abandoning the run

The Titans did come up short to both the Bears and Jets, respectively, in the season’s first two weeks. Yes, the games were very competitive and the team stuck to its game plan in terms of a good run-pass mix. Against Chicago, there were 26 running plays and 35 passing plays. Versus New York, there was near-perfect balance in terms of running plays (28) and passing plays (32). That was not the case on Sunday.

Although the Titans trailed by only 13 points at halftime, the approach was to put the ball into Levis’ hands. Even with the likes of Tony Pollard in the backfield, this was now a one-dimensional offense. The Titans would gain only 158 total yards in the second half. However, the team ran the ball just four times in the final two quarters. All told, 31 of the team’s 35 offensive snaps in the second half were pass plays.

What went wrong: Turnover issues continue

Levis’ final numbers on Sunday against the Packers certainly looked respectable. The second-year signal-caller connected on 26 of his 34 throws for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A season-high nine different players caught at least one pass, led by veteran DeAndre Hopkins. He totaled a game-high six receptions for 73 yards, and a third-quarter score. The yardage total and TD passes were season bests.

However, Levis also turned over the football three more times. There was a first-quarter pick-six courtesy of Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander. In the fourth quarter, he was picked off by safety Xavier McKinney. There was also a lost fumble in the third quarter. The Titans have given up the ball eight times in three games this season, all by Levis. To be fair, he was under the gun in the second half, sacked a total of seven times.

What went wrong: Defense’s worst performance of the early season

Coordinator Dennard Wilson’s unit played very solid football, despite Tennessee’s rough 0-2 start. Callahan’s team dropped consecutive 24-17 losses to the Bears and Jets, respectively. Chicago (148) and New York (265) combined to gain 413 total yards. The Titans did not surrender an offensive touchdown to the Bears. Finally, Wilson’s defense gave up a combined 185 yards on the ground to those opponents.

In the first half on Sunday, Green Bay rolled up 266 total yards and owned the football for 19:08. The Packers averaged 8.1 yards per offensive play. Willis ran six times for 73 yards and a score, all in the first half, part of Green Bay’s 188 yards on the ground. All told, the Titans were gashed for 378 total yards on 59 offensive plays (6.4 average). Again, the team’s lone takeaway this season remains on special teams.