More data shows how dismal Titans’ 2022 offense was on early downs

Todd Downing routinely ran Derrick Henry into a brick wall on first downs in 2022.

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The Todd Downing experiment in Tennessee was disastrous from the start and it didn’t take long to realize how big of a downgrade Downing was in comparison to what Arthur Smith brought to the team during his tenure.

This entire offseason, Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis has done a good job of pointing out just how lackluster Tennessee’s former offensive coordinator was, even calling Downing a “double agent trying to make life difficult for the Titans offense.”

Sharp recently decided to research a variety of topics surrounding first-half offenses around the league, and unsurprisingly, the Titans’ Downing-led offense didn’t fare favorably in either category.

The Titans not only finished with the most first-down runs which resulted in a maximum gain of two yards or less (58), Tennessee also produced the sixth-lowest pass rate on early downs (49.4 percent).

Needless to say, routinely putting the Titans’ one-dimensional offense in 3rd-and-longs was a recipe for disaster, and it’s one of many reasons why Downing is no longer running the offense.

Let’s hope a Tim Kelly-led group produces a more balanced and unpredictable attack on early downs in order to help put the offense in more manageable situations throughout the game.

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