Tag: Kenny Vaccaro

WATCH: Former Texas safety picks off Lamar Jackson in playoffs

Former Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro picks off Lamar Jackson in the Titans impressive AFC playoff win on Saturday night.

For the second week in a row, the Tennessee Titans pulled off a NFL playoffs upset. After squeaking into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, the Titans defeated the New England Patriots in the wildcard round.

Was it a one-time thing? Had the Patriots lost their dominance? It doesn’t appear that just luck was on their side, as the Titans went into Baltimore on Saturday night and upset the No. 1 seed.

They’re now legitimate contenders.

The Titans defense forced three turnovers against the Ravens, former Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro was right in the middle of them. Near the end of the third quarter, Vaccaro intercepts quarterback Lamar Jackson’s pass intended for receiver Miles Boykin.

This impressive interception on third down was key in preventing the Ravens from a realistic chance at a comeback. There are quite a few former Longhorns remaining in the playoffs, but Vaccaro has arguably made the most impact.

5 standouts from Titans’ 28-12 win over Ravens

The Titans played true complementary football all night long, delivering strong performances on both sides of the ball.

The Tennessee Titans were largely counted out against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens before the game even started, as many believed the team was simply outmatched by do-everything quarterback Lamar Jackson.

But they shocked the nation and left M&T Bank Stadium with a dominant 28-12 win, taking the momentum early on and never really allowing the Ravens to get their feet under them.

The Titans played true complementary football all night long, delivering strong performances on both sides of the ball.

Here are five players who particularly stood out on the victory no one saw coming.

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1. QB Ryan Tannehill.

Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s easy to argue that Tannehill looked more like Lamar Jackson looked like himself on Saturday night.

The quarterback showed hustle, extending plays with his legs and recording one rushing touchdown.

He was 7-of-14 passing on the night for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

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Former Longhorn Kenny Vaccaro Looking For Redemption

Former Texas Longhorns safety Kenny Vaccaro is looking to spoil a couple NFL record chasing performances.

The former Texas Longhorns and New Orleans Saints safety is looking to spoil the party in Nashville. Playoff implications are all over this matchup. Saints are trying to keep pace so they can get a first-round bye and host a playoff game in the divisional round. The Titans on the other hand are looking to get to the playoffs in a tight battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the final wild card spot.

Vaccaro spent his first five seasons in the league with New Orleans but wasn’t re-signed and he eventually ended up in Tennessee. The former Longhorn is looking to help prevent history today for the Saints. Drew Brees needs four straight completions to set the NFL record for most consecutive completions at 26.

“He showed me that you could be a great player and still be a great dad,” Vaccaro said. “He’s the best player I’ve ever been around. He’s the most detailed player. I remember seeing him in the locker room before games going through the 15-play script by himself. He’d go through the calls and the checks in his head. He’d sit down and look at the script, and he’s going through what’s going to happen and transpire in the game. He’s just the model player.” –Kenny Vaccaro on Drew Brees via ESPN

The other big potential record is with Michael Thomas chasing Marvin Harrison’s NFL record for receptions in a single season. With how Thomas has played this year the record being broken seems like a foregone conclusion. Vaccaro is looking to make sure that his former teammate doesn’t set a new record against his defense.

The Saints and Titans will kickoff at Noon central time on Fox.

Titans S Kenny Vaccaro pushing WR AJ Brown to match Michael Thomas’ level vs. Saints

Expect a big game from both players when the two teams face each other at 12 pm CST on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

The Tennessee Titans face arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver in Michael Thomas against the New Orleans Saints this week.

But Tennessee has its own rising star at WR1, and AJ Brown’s teammates are pushing him to have a big game against the Saints on Sunday.

To be more specific — former Saint and current Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro.

“Kenny always reminds me,” Brown said in a report by AtoZ Sports Nashville. “He’s like, ‘Michael Thomas is working right now. He’s working.’ So, in between periods, he’s telling me ‘Go do something.’ He was telling me that Michael Thomas came in his rookie year demanding the ball, this and that. He tells me just keep working at it and just keep building that confidence in yourself.”

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The Titans’ defense is going to need to know where Thomas is at all times, and Vaccaro knows that all too well having shared a sideline with him.

“Mike wants to be the best player that’s ever put on the shoes,” he said. “You don’t see the behind the team stuff. You see the incredible catches, the flexes, but I knew Day One, the way he practiced, the way he walked around, he wanted to be that. I told A.J. Brown, I saw that Michael Thomas’s rookie year. Every day catching balls, working on timing with Drew, every single day, an hour after practice.”

Thomas has had a monumental year, leading the league in catches and yards with 133 receptions for 1,552 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Brown has also been a force for the Titans, and totals 47 receptions for 893 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He had another strong performance in last week’s 24-21 loss to the Houston Texans, posting eight receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown.

Expect a big game from both players when the two teams face each other at 12 pm CST on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Ex-Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro, now with Titans, readying to play his old team

Kenny Vaccaro was drafted by the New Orleans Saints out of Texas, but he’ll get a shot at playing his old team with the Tennessee Titans.

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Things haven’t quite gone as planned since Kenny Vaccaro left the Texas Longhorns behind and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. A series of injury-shortened seasons on under-performing defenses sent him into free agency after his five-year rookie contract expired, and he found his way with the Tennessee Titans — but it would be tough to complain about how his tenure in Nashville, Tenn. has gone.

Vaccaro inked a four-year, $24 million contract extension before the 2019 season and has started all 14 games for the Titans this season. He ranks fourth on the team in total tackles (70), and has teamed up with All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard to form one of the NFL’s stronger tandems on the back end.

Still, he’s not expecting the years of practice he put in against Drew Brees to be much of a benefit on Sunday. Odd as it may feel to find himself playing opposite the black and gold, he wants to take a team-first approach.

“I really have truly been focused on week to week, but now that it’s here is it like, ‘Oh, wow, we are playing the Saints,’” Vaccaro said on Wednesday during an interview with the official Titans website. “But I approach it kind of like the way Logan (Ryan) did when we played the Patriots last year. I am not going to make this about me and playing my former team at all, because it is not about that really – it is about us staying in this playoff race.”

Vaccaro is fresh off the heels of a six-tackle performance in last week’s loss to the Houston Texans, a game in which he bagged his first interception of the season. He’s going to do his best to help his squad this week and avoid making it personal with the team that drafted him — and ultimately passed on him. But don’t be shocked if he and some former teammates find time to embrace and swap jerseys afterwards.

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Titans S Kenny Vaccaro prepared to face former team on Sunday

Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro is no stranger to the opponent the Titans face this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro is no stranger to the opponent the Titans face this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

A short time ago, he played for the New Orleans Saints, who he was with for five seasons.

Of course facing a team he used to be on the roster of feels kind of bizarre in a sense, but Vaccaro isn’t focused on that.

“I really have truly been focused on week to week, but now that it’s here is it like, ‘Oh, wow, we are playing the Saints,’” Vaccaro said on Wednesday. “But I approach it kind of like the way Logan (Ryan) did when we played the Patriots last year. I am not going to make this about me and playing my former team at all, because it is not about that really – it is about us staying in this playoff race.”

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Vaccaro and the defense will be up against a hot Drew Brees, who completed 29-of-30 passes on Monday against the Indianapolis Colts, breaking Peyton Manning’s NFL record for most touchdown passes (541).

Vaccaro has been also been performing at a high level lately, though, posting six tackles and momentum-shifting interception in the end-zone in the 24-21 loss.

He’ll surely be a factor as the Titans take on the Saints at 12 p.m. CST on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Best plays from Titans’ 24-21 loss to Texans

There were some missed opportunities for the Titans, but also some big plays that kept the game as close as it was.

The Tennessee Titans (8-6) looked to extend their winning streak to five games as they faced the visiting Houston Texans (9-5) on Sunday, but instead recorded a 24-21 loss.

There were some missed opportunities for the Titans, but also some big plays that kept the game as close as it was.

Here’s a look at just a handful of those.

5. TE Jonnu Smith’s 57-yard carry.

Smith can do it all at this point. It’s not every day that you see a tight end carry the ball, but Smith made a huge play for the offense on this rushing play to put the Titans deep in Texans territory.

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Observations from Titans’ 42-21 win over Raiders

Here are some quick observations we made throughout the game.

The Tennessee Titans (8-5) recorded their fourth straight victory as they came into Oakland and defeated the Raiders (6-7), 42-21.

The game was a shootout at first, tied 21-21 at halftime, but the defense came alive and the team was able to leave with a dominant victory.

The Titans look like a team that compete as they face the division rival Houston Texans in Nissan Stadium next week.

Here are some quick observations we made throughout the game.

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– The Raiders won the toss and elected to defer, allowing quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the offense the first go.

– Tannehill attempted a slant deep in Raiders territory, and was intercepted by Maurice Hurst. Tannehill tackles him at the Titans’ 24-yard line.

– It took the Raiders hardly an time at all to put a D’Andre Washington touchdown on the board. This marked Washington’s second touchdown of the season.

– Khari Blasingame made his first career catch, a 24-yarder, on a wheel route to bring the Titans to the Oakland 23. It wasn’t long after that Derrick Henry took a 12-yard touchdown in to make it 7-7 with 3:21 left to play in the first quarter.

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– The Titans got a stop on the Raiders on the following drive, leaving them punting.

-A.J. Brown caught a 91-yard playaction touchdown pass from Tannehill to give the Titans a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

– Carr hit Rico Gafford as the Titans got lost in man-to-man coverage, allowing them to tie the game up at 14-14.

– Tannehill connected with Anthony Firkser on what would have been a touchdown pass, but it was called back due to holding on offensive lineman Nate Davis.

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– Brown came up with his second touchdown of the day on a 16-yarder from Tannehill. He broke through three tackles as he drove his way into the end-zone.

– The Titans were nearly able to prevent a Raiders touchdown at the bottom of second quarter, but the defense gave way and allowed a touchdown reception by tight end Foster Moreau. The game was tied at 21-21 soon before halftime.

– Ryan Succop tried for a 42-yard field goal just before the half, but it hit the goalpost.

– After leaving the game at the two minute warning, Henry came out with the team in the second half.

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– Safety Kenny Vaccaro left the game with a concussion as Amani Hooker entered the game in his place.

–  Linebacker Jayon Brown came up with a near-interception, bringing up third down for the Raiders.

– Henry punched in the score for the Titans after a 38-yard reception by tight end MyCole Pruitt. The Titans led by a touchdown at that point.

– Tannehill found tight end Jonnu Smith on 17-yard touchdown at the top of the fourth quarter to extend the team’s lead to 35-21.

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– Cornerback Tye Smith forced a fumble, and Brown took it in for a score. Smith has now forced fumbles in back-to-back games.

– With just under four minutes remaining in the game, the Raiders went for it on fourth down at the Titans’ 1. There was nobody home when Carr went to throw the ball, and Tennessee took over on downs.

Titans S Kenny Vaccaro OUT with concussion vs. Raiders

Safety Amani Hooker is in at safety in Vaccaro’s place, opposite of Kevin Byard.

Tennessee Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro has been ruled OUT for the remainder of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders with a concussion.

Safety Amani Hooker is in at safety in Vaccaro’s place, opposite of Kevin Byard.

The Titans and Raiders remain tied in Oakland with just over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Titans-Colts: a look at defensive snap counts

Here’s a complete look at the defensive snap counts.

The Tennessee Titans (7-5) looked like a much different, much more improved team as they faced the Indianapolis Colts (6-6) for the second time this season and recorded a 31-17 win in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Safeties Kenny Vaccaro and Kevin Byard, along with cornerback Logan Ryan all played in each of the game’s 72 defensive snaps.

Linebacker Jayon Brown played for all but one snap, for a total of 71.

Safeties Amani Hooker and Dane Cruikshank were in for 24 snaps on special teams. Cornerback Tye Smith saw action on 64 defensive snaps during the contest, including 15 on special teams.

Here’s a complete look at the defensive snap counts.

The Titans will face the Oakland Raiders next at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.