Mike Vrabel Leads Patriots Past Titans as Post-Brian Callahan Era Begins
The Tennessee Titans looked decent in the first half on Sunday, almost good even. Cam Ward started the game 10/11, and rookie wide receiver Chimere Dike made great catches, including his first career touchdown.
Then the second half started, and reality slapped the Titans in the face. The New England Patriots scored two touchdowns in 11 seconds to take a 31-13 lead. They never looked back, and no points were scored for the remainder of the game.
Cam Ward fumbled, threw an interception, and finished 25/34 for 255 yards with one touchdown and the aforementioned fumble and pick.
Ward has 10 turnovers this season, at least one in each game so far. The turnovers have really become an issue recently, though, with five of Ward’s 10 giveaways coming in the last two weeks.
Ward also showed maturity at times during the game, but that just highlights the one thing that is so obvious about Cam Ward: He is incredibly inconsistent. Even during a game, he can make jaw-dropping plays and head-scratching errors.
This will hopefully iron itself out over time as Ward settles into the NFL, but it is still concerning, and it’s costing the Titans their chances at victory or at least keeping games competitive.
The Titans’ run game was completely nonexistent, contributing to their eventual collapse on Sunday. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears combined for 40 yards. It is hard for any team to win a game one-dimensionally, especially a team as bad as the Titans. The run game needs to get better, and fast.
The Titans’ defense was also abysmal. Drake Maye only had two incompletions all game, going 21/23 for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
Rhamondre Stevenson ran all over the Titans with 18 carries for 88 yards and a score.
On top of that, arguably the Titans’ two best defensive players left the game with injuries. First, Jeffery Simmons was forced out early in the game with an apparent hamstring injury. Then, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed left the game in the third quarter with a quad injury. Neither player returned.
The Titans were already playing without their offensive star, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but rookie Chimere Dike stepped up and had a great first half. He had four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
An interesting stat about Dike is that he currently has the most all-purpose yards in the NFL, with 1,025.
He has been an impressive kick returner and has also started contributing in the pass-catching game.
Elic Ayomanor was anonymous this week, but he has shown signs of being a reliable NFL receiver in other games.
The third rookie the Titans drafted in the fourth round, tight end Gunnar Helm, has also been playing well.
As the losses pile up, the positive for the Titans is the progress being shown by their rookies. It will be a long season, but the Titans should focus on finding their next head coach and ensuring Cam Ward and his fellow rookies continue developing and impressing.