Category: Titans

NFL’s Worst of the Week: Giants-Jets, Steelers get hosed, double Falcons, Brock Purdy

Giants-Jets! Steelers get hosed! Falcons fail on both sides of the ball! Who’s looking out for Brock Purdy? It’s time for the NFL’s Worst of the Week!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season.

DeAndre Hopkins with a touchdown hat trick for Titans

Call DeAndre Hopkins Mr. Touchdown in Week 8 for the Titans

This is the DeAndre Hopkins the Tennessee Titans wanted to see when they signed the wide receiver as a free agent.

With rookie Will Levis at QB against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Hopkins erupted.

In the third quarter, he already had three touchdown receptions.

No. 3

No. 2

No. 1

Heading into the fourth quarter, Hopkins had 4 receptions for 128 yards and the 3 TDs.

Will Levis connects with DeAndre Hopkins for 2 Titans touchdowns

Will Levis has a connection with DeAndre Hopkins

The Tennessee Titans may have stumbled onto a quarterback.

Rookie Will Levis made his first start on Sunday and he displayed the knowledge of a veteran when it came to choosing the receiver to throw the ball to for Tennessee.

Levis had a pair of TD passes and it appears he has a bond with the great DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins had 2 catches for 63 yards and both were good for scores as the Titans went up on Atlanta, 14-3.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is just trolling us all now

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith doesn’t care about your fantasy team, but there are times when we wonder if he gets actual football, either.

Atlanta Falcons head coach and offensive shot-caller Arthur Smith is quite fond of responding to questions about the design of his offense, and his seeming love of ignoring his most explosive playmakers, with comments about how he doesn’t care about anybody’s fantasy team.

Which, of course, isn’t the point. The point is to get the ball in the hands of your best guys, and Smith has come up short in that regard though most of the season. Which is one reason the Falcons came into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans ranked 24th in Offensive DVOA. This time, Smith had another “interesting” idea that — as you might expect — didn’t work.

With 10:36 left in the first quarter, Smith pulled running back Bijan Robinson off the field at the Tennessee seven-yard line so that… well, so that tight end Jonnu Smith could throw an incomplete pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt.

On the next play, quarterback Desmond Ridder was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and Younghoe Koo saved some semblance of scoring with a 29-yard field goal.

If Smith keeps this up, he might soon have a lot more time to play fantasy football — whether he likes it or not.

Tennessee Titans throw it back to amazing Houston Oilers uniforms

Were those the Tennessee Titans or the Houston Oilers?

The Tennessee Titans threw it back big time for their game with the game with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

USAT

They paid homage to the franchise’s original roots by wearing Houston Oilers-style uniforms.

One can be sure the sales at the Titans shop will soar when people see how cool these threads are

Eagles GM Howie Roseman has done it again with Kevin Byard trade

Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman has done it again with the Kevin Byard trade. How does the league let Roseman get away with it?

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/YHifX4sBKOB4p_Gkt-xN/1698117261699_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0ibGZlZ3N6c3lncnp1ZXMycGlpMmhheDJobm4yYzI2Y28iIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

Just when you think that the NFL will never let Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman fleece another team, Roseman fleeces another team, and 31 GMs around the league are once again left to wonder, “How did he get away with it… again?”

This time, Roseman went back to the source of perhaps his greatest trade — the April, 2022 deal that landed the Eagles receiver A.J. Brown — in the Tennessee Titans. This time, Roseman didn’t have to part with first- and third-round picks as he did for his No. 1 receiver. All he had to do was to give up 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks, and safety Terrell Edmunds, for safety Kevin Byard. The eight-year veteran out of Middle Tennessee State is a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time First-Team All-Pro, and this season, he’s allowed 15 catches on 21 targets for 181 yards, 72 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 97.5.

It’s an important transaction for the Eagles, who just came off their 31-17 Sunday night win over the Miami Dolphins. Micah Parsons, who of course plays quite well for the Eagles’ NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys, thought it was a great move.

Byard left this heartfelt message to Titans fans on his way out of Tennessee. Now that he’s on his way to Philly, what does that mean for him, and for the Eagles’ defense?

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Week 7’s biggest NFL matchups

NFL Week 7 is here! Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get you ready for it with tape study and advanced metrics in this week’s “Xs and Os.”

It’s time for Week 7 of the NFL season, and as always, Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group get you ready with tons of tape study and advanced metrics.

This week, Greg and Doug get into these games:

  • Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles — How can the Eagles’ defense stop Miami’s motion-heavy, track team offense?
  • Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts — What did the win over the 49ers tell us about the Browns’ defense… both good and bad?
  • Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens — The Lions and Ravens are each dialing it up on both sides of the ball, leading to perhaps the best schematic matchup of the week.
  • Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs — How the Chiefs are playing defense at a very high level under Steve Spagnuolo.
  • San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings — Brock Purdy has been amazing against the blitz this season, but will he be able to handle Brian Flores’ multi-level pressure concepts?

Greg and Doug also get into the Jets’ amazing defense.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/B0stRosBKOB4p_GkpSgG/1697691587658_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaWl5aGc1Y3NuNXp1ZXMycGlpMmhheDJobm55Zmd6MmgiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The NFL’s Worst of Week 6: Bad officiating, punter headbutts, angry Brian Daboll!

Massive officiating errors! Angry coaches! Punters starting fights, and announcers jinxing quarterbacks. It’s the NFL’s Worst of the Week for Week 6!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.

Breaking News: Lamar Jackson looks pretty good when his receivers catch the ball

As it turns out, Lamar Jackson is a much better quarterback when his receivers catch the ball. Who would have imagined it?

In the Baltimore Ravens’ 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, Lamar Jackson completed 22 of 38 passes for 236 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 65.2.

It was a bad game for Baltimore’s offense. It’s also an example of why box score scouting is never a good idea. Jackson would have had a much better day had his receivers been able to catch… well, anything. Jackson’s targets were responsible for seven drops on Jackson’s attempts, which obviously affects one’s passing game.

This week, Jackson was nonplussed about the problem.

“It’s self-explanatory. I don’t need to say anything. Those guys, they feel they feel how I feel. They want to make a play. We haven’t had that before. It was the first time it happened. It happened in a rival game when we didn’t want it to happen. I believe our guys are locked in right now. They’re going to be better, and so will I.” 

So far in the Ravens’ Sunday game against the Tennessee Titans in London, everything seems back on track. On Baltimore’s first drive, Jackson completed all four of his passes to four different receivers for 45 yards. Amazing how much of a difference that makes!

The best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days deal for each NFL team

See our favorite Amazon Prime Big Deal Days deal for each of the 32 NFL teams.

The 2023 NFL season is turning its first corner. Just in time for another important time of the year: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.

The latest rounds of deals on the site have now hit the web. Get your holiday shopping done early this year and find the perfect gift for the football fan in your life

Are you ready to celebrate Jonathan Taylor’s new contract with the Indianapolis Colts?

How about preparing for another potential deep run for your Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles?

Or are you ready to jump on the Miami Dolphins’ bandwagon?

Whatever the team, use Amazon Prime Big Deals Day as an excuse to gear up for the rest of the 2023 NFL season starting with our team-by-team list below: