An absolutely dominant performance by the Titans against one of the elite teams in the AFC. Offense, defense, and special teams all pitched in for the most complete effort of the year.
Three Down:
The Titans 3rd down defense: It seemed like the Titans could not buy a stop on 3rd down against the Bills. In the end, the Bills converted 13/17 on 3rd down, denying the Titans opportunity after opportunity to get off the field.
Bills Mafia: All week, we heard “the Titans should forfeit”, “the Titans are trash”, “Josh Allen is the greatest QB of all time,” etc. It seems like Bills Mafia just wanted a forfeit to avoid being destroyed by Tannethrill and the Titans. Congrats Buffalonians, you have eggs all over your collective face.
Josh Norman: No one had a worse night than Josh Norman on Tuesday. He was ethered by a Derrick Henry stiff arm and then meme’d on social media afterwards. He followed that up by getting beat by A.J. Brown and then committing a personal foul. It’s time to hang up the cleats, Josh.
Three Up:
Ryan Tannehill: “Tannehill will regress” was a rallying cry from the detractors this offseason. They were denied satisfaction yet again from Ryan, who is proving that 2019 was not a fluke. 21/28 for 195 doesn’t necessarily get you excited, but 3 TDs through the air and another on the ground certainly does. Efficient and effective, per usual.
A.J. Brown: Welcome back, WR1! In his first game back, Brown was dangerous when it mattered, and then the Titans relied on the rushing attack to ice the game. Brown finished with 7 catches on 9 targets for 82 yards and a TD. He’s clearly a man among boys on the field.
The defense on downs 1-2: Through the first three weeks of the year, the Titans defense was a sieve against some really lackluster offenses. In Week 4, against a categorically great offense, the Titans held the Bills to just 16 points. Malcom Butler intercepted Josh Allen twice and the defense made the Bill’s signal caller look like previous year’s iteration of himself.
Bonus Ups:
Jeffery Simmon’s tweet game: Simmons was an absolute gem on twitter during the game. Check out some of the highlights below or the entire profile here.
Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff: You could not tell that the Titans had practiced only once in the last 16 days. They were clearly the more prepared team, and they dominated from start to finish. Hats off to Vrabel and the staff for getting this team ready in the midst of less than ideal conditions, especially with two assistant coaches missing this game due to the COVID outbreak.
Malcolm Butler for punt returner!!! lol that guy is always looking for a td when he gets a pick.
Tell you what, K-Ray had a nice day both on offense and in the return game.
He really did! Raymond was a nice surprise all around.