Category: Game Recap

Titans’ top PFF grades, O-line stats, more from preseason Week 2

The Titans’ top PFF grades, offensive line, coverage and pass-rush stats from preseason Week 2.

In our final look back at the Tennessee Titans’ preseason Week 2 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, we’re taking a gander at the top Pro Football Focus grades, offensive line stats, and more from the contest.

The player with the highest overall grade on either side of the ball was defensive lineman Michael Dwunfour, who scored a 91.0 in his debut with the Titans. The veteran was the only player to score a 90 or higher.

On offense, the highest grade went to wide receiver Mason Kinsey, who notched a 79.9. Kinsey has been the Titans’ most consistent receiver in preseason play and led the team in receiving yards on Saturday night.

Now, the rest of the PFF grades, as well as the offensive line, pass-rush and coverage stats from preseason Week 2.

Analyzing Titans’ snap counts from preseason Week 2

Check out the Titans’ snap counts from the preseason Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

With preseason Week 2 in the books following the Tennessee Titans’ 24-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night, it’s time to take a look at the team’s snap counts.

Leading the way on offense was quarterback Malik Willis, who saw 59 plays, which was 17 more than last week. Of course, Willis’ increase in action came from the fact that rookie signal-caller Will Levis didn’t play due to injury.

On defense, it was veteran safety Shyheim Carter who saw the most action with a total of 56 snaps, which accounted for 89 percent of the total plays.

Let’s check out the full snap counts for players on both sides of the ball.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ preseason win over Vikings

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

On Saturday night, the Tennessee Titans once again took another big step in their evaluations for the initial 53-man roster, which will be set in a little over a week on Tuesday, Aug. 29, which comes after Tennessee’s final preseason game.

The Titans will have a week of practices before their exhibition finale on Friday night against the New England Patriots. However, the joint practices that were scheduled have been cancelled following a scary injury to Pats cornerback Isaiah Bolden, who is thankfully OK.

But before we look ahead to that contest, it’s time to take another look back at the one against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason Week 2, a game that saw some players step up and either improve their chances of making the roster, or solidify their spots altogether.

Unfortunately, there are at least two significant competitions that remain up in the air, so we didn’t get total clarity ahead of preseason Week 3. We’ll go over all of that in our biggest takeaways from preseason Week 2.

Photos from Titans’ 2nd preseason game vs. Vikings

Photos from the Titans’ preseason Week 2 game versus the Vikings.

After closing out last season with a seven-game losing streak and dropping their first preseason game, the Tennessee Titans and their fans finally tasted victory on Saturday night, with a 24-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Of course, it’s just an exhibition game and doesn’t count toward the regular season, but it still felt good to say the Titans won a game, something we haven’t been able to say in a long time.

In case you missed any of our coverage following the game, we’ve linked to it below. If not, keep scrolling for the photos from preseason Week 2.

Titans vs. Vikings: Everything we know

The good and bad of Malik Willis

What Titans said about preseason Week 2

Willis, Vrabel talk QB’s preseason Week 2

Titans’ winners and losers

The good and bad from Titans QB Malik Willis in preseason Week 2

Shaun Calderon takes a look at the good and bad from Titans QB Malik Willis in preseason Week 2.

The Tennessee Titans finally won a football game for the first time since before Thanksgiving of last year after they beat the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night, 24-16.

This win could mostly be attributed to a fantastic running game led by running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut, and quarterback Malik Willis.

Sadly, when it came to their passing game, this wasn’t the all-around great performance we were hoping for.

Willis was forced to play the entire game after a mysterious lower-body injury sidelined rookie signal-caller Will Levis. Levis did dress up as the emergency backup, but Willis ended up taking almost every snap under center aside from a few gimmick plays that went to Mason Kinsey.

Therefore, unlike last week when this article broke down both Willis and Levis, this article is going to solely revolve around the performance of the former on a day in which he had the chance to run away with the backup quarterback job.

Sadly, that was hardly the case and instead  Levis’ chances might have actually gotten better without even playing.

Hopefully, the Kentucky product can go next week because he has the chance to snatch this job with a solid performance, unless Willis bounces back in emphatic fashion.

Let’s dive right into the good and bad from Willis’ evening.

What Titans said about preseason Week 2 win over Vikings

What Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Co. said about the preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

The Tennessee Titans no doubt had their fair share of issues on offense but were able to emerge victorious over the Minnesota Vikings, 24-16, in their first preseason win of 2023.

Titans quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t as sharp through the air as he was in preseason Week 1, but his elite athleticism and escapability was on full display throughout the contest.

Tennessee really dominated on the ground with 281 yards in total. Running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut shined in particular, with both breaking off long runs and scoring touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, players such as cornerback Eric Garror and outside linebacker Caleb Murphy stood out, with Murphy notching a pair of sacks, giving him three through two exhibition games.

After the contest, head coach Mike Vrabel and several players met with the media to discuss what happened on Saturday night. Check out what they had to say below.

Titans top Vikings in preseason Week 2: Everything we know

The Titans’ ground game dominated in the preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

The Tennessee Titans notched their first win of the preseason slate on Saturday night when they topped the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, 24-16.

While things didn’t go so well for the Titans’ passing attack, the ground game dominated en route to an eye-popping 281 yards (7.0 yards per carry) and two scores.

Both running backs Julius Chestnut and Tyjae Spears broke off big runs and found pay dirt, and quarterback Malik Willis showed his elite athleticism all game long.

After a lackluster showing in preseason Week 1, the Titans’ backup defense was sharp, holding the Vikings to just one touchdown on the evening and under 300 yards of total offense.

But let’s dive a bit deeper on both sides of the ball and special teams with some instant analysis of each. We’ll also go over the stars of the game, the highlights and whatever injuries were recorded from Tennessee’s first exhibition victory of 2023 on Saturday night.

Titans’ PFF grades, O-line stats, more from preseason opener

It’s time to see which Titans backups were responsible for the pressures and sacks in preseason Week 1.

As we continue our postgame coverage of the Tennessee Titans’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, we’re now taking a look at the top Pro Football Focus grades and stats from the game on Saturday.

Scoring the highest overall grade on either side of the ball was linebacker Ben Niemann, who notched a 90.3. Niemann, who tallied four tackles and one fumble recovery, was the only player on the team to score above a 90.

On offense, the top grade goes to center Aaron Brewer, who scored an 81.9. He only played the first series and a total of 12 snaps, but the 2020 undrafted free agent didn’t allow a single pressure.

On top of the top-10 Pro Football Focus grades on both sides of the ball, we also have offensive line, pass-rush and coverage stats to share with you, with the O-line stats being of particular interest after the backups allowed a ton of sacks on Saturday.

Here’s everything:

Analyzing Titans’ snap counts from preseason Week 1

Here’s a look at the snap counts — and some analysis for them — from the Titans’ preseason Week 1 game against the Bears.

With the Tennessee Titans’ preseason Week 1 game in the books, it’s time to take a look at the team’s snap counts from the loss to the Chicago Bears.

Snap counts can tell us a lot, especially during the preseason. Lower snap counts can be an indication a team didn’t need an extended look at a player, which means they tend to be safer in their bid for a roster spot.

But a low snap count can also mean a player left early due to injury, so keep that in mind.

Before we get to the snap counts and the biggest takeaways from them, here’s the list of players who didn’t suit up in preseason Week 1:

QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Derrick Henry, WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks, TEs Chig Okonkwo, Trevon Wesco and Alize Mack (injury), OL John Ojukwu (injury) and Dillon Radunz (PUP), DL Jeffery Simmons, Teair Tart, Denico Autry and Naquan Jones (injury), LB Azeez Al-Shaair, OLBs Arden Key and Harold Landry, CBs Kristian Fulton, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Roger McCreary and Caleb Farley (PUP), S Kevin Byard, Amani Hooker and A.J. Moore (injury), DBs Josh Thompson (NFI) and Chris Jackson (injury).

Just a note: players listed with “injury” are assumed based on their having missed the team’s last full practice on Thursday.

Now, the analysis of the snap counts.

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ preseason Week 1 loss

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ preseason Week 1 game.

Now that we’ve had a night to sleep on the Tennessee Titans’ preseason Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, it’s time to take a look at the biggest takeaways from it.

Tennessee had a 17-14 halftime lead, but that would be all the scoring the Titans would do. The Bears’ defense put the clamps on Tennessee after that, ultimately securing a 23-17 win on the strength of three second-half field goals.

The Titans did have a chance at a pair of game-winning drives late, but both quarterback Will Levis and Malik Willis had miscues to thwart them.

Of course, the loss means absolutely nothing. We’re really focused on how young players and roster bubble guys looked, how units on both sides of the ball performed as a whole, and if things either got clearer or murkier in certain competitions up and down the roster.

Without further ado, the biggest takeaways from the Titans’ preseason opener on Saturday.