When the Tennessee Titans lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, many fans were frustrated. This wasn’t because it was just a loss; it was how they lost. The Titans defense controlled the game to come out of the game 0-1 stings.
Even head coach Brian Callahan voiced some frustration.
“If we’d just punted it on 1st & 10 every time, we might’ve won the game the way that we gave it away,” head coach Brian Callahan said on Monday, and he was correct. By all accounts, that defensive effort alone should have led to victory.
But one analyst, Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt, pointed out a fact that Callahan overlooked on Monday, which threw a wrench into that thought process.
https://twitter.com/KyleBrandt/status/1833334966563790936
He was spot on! Lost in the coverage of the brutal Will Levis interception that put the Bears in front, it was a touchdown off a blocked punt that changed the momentum of the game. Without that, the Titans defense was in control and there was little hope that the Bears would climb back into the game.
Who knows what the outcome would have been without that block, the Titans could be sitting here today at 1-0 instead of 0-1. It does, however, show the importance of Special Teams and why they must join the offense and be better against the New York Jets.
If they don’t improve, Brandt will be right, punting on first down will not help.