Despite a close first half and an optimistic performance from first overall pick Cam Ward, the Tennessee Titans ultimately came up short in their season opener against the Denver Broncos, 20-12.
The Titans are now preparing for their home opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and if they want to overcome a close battle and defeat a defending playoff team, there are a few major issues that must be improved upon.
Blocking Problems
The Titans’ offensive line struggled to protect second-year signal caller Will Levis last season, as he was the tenth-most sacked quarterback (41) in the league despite only starting 12 of 17 games.
The team splurged during free agency in hopes of improving that level of protection, signing T Dan Moore Jr. and G Kevin Zeitler to big contracts.
However, Ward took six sacks in his pro debut on Sunday, the most of any QB last weekend. He also completed only 42.9% of his passes and lost a fumble on one of those six sacks with less than a minute left in the game.
PFF ranked tackles JC Latham and Moore 60th and 65th, respectively, out of 66 qualifying tackles last week, which is disappointing to many fans who have noticed the team has struggled to protect whoever is under center for a few years now.
As for plays on the ground, RB Tony Pollard had a couple of solid runs, but none went for more than nine yards, and he only ended up averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
Reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse is coming to town this Sunday, and he is sure to get to Ward and the rest of the offense like the Broncos did if blocking does not improve. Latham has already told reporters he will not play due to a hip injury. Whoever will be the next man up has a massive job to do for the team to have any shot at a victory.
Penalties Galore
After the loss to the Broncos, a picture of a stat shown by the TV broadcast began making waves on social media.
By the time the final whistle blew, the Titans had committed 13 penalties for 131 yards, tied with the Saints for the most in the league last week.
The Titans also averaged the second-most penalties per game across the league in 2024, with 7.8.
Head Coach Brian Callahan acknowledged the penalties and the fact that many of them came on third downs, which he called “critical.” A few players, including Pro-Bowl DE Jeffery Simmons, were frustrated about them and said that they are something that must change going forward.
“When you have that many penalties, that’s terrible,” Simmons said. “You’ll never win a game like that, especially against a good football team on the road. We have to clean that up.”
If the game against the Rams ends up being close at any point, like the Broncos game was, penalties could make all the difference. The Titans hopefully realized that last week and will make an effort to be more disciplined on Sunday.
Struggles Moving the Chains
A stat from last week’s box score that stands out is the lack of third-down conversions, as the Titans only converted two of 14.
The conversion rate of 14.3% was the lowest in the NFL by a wide margin last week. No other team converted less than 20% of its third downs.
Free agent signee Johnny Hekker punted eight times on Sunday, which is huge in telling how failing to convert third downs affects a team.
Not only that, but the team’s 12 points came from four field goals, and beating a team like the Rams will be nearly impossible if the offense cannot move the chains deep down the field.
Converting third downs will also become easier if the Titans are able to improve on blocking and penalties. It may not happen this weekend, but these areas must show improvement throughout the season if the Titans want any chance at a playoff spot.
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