The Titans have shown us gritty football at times and sloppy football at times. What are these Titans capable of? The Titans have the fans asking different questions after each week. To figure out what 3-1 really means, this article analyzes the good, the bad, and the ugly of each game so far.

Week 1: Dolphins: 27 Titans: 20

After a very long and brutal game to the Miami Dolphins week one, there was not much to look forward to. The future looked bleak after losing Taylor Lewan with an already injured offensive line, losing Marcus Mariota, and losing Delanie Walker to a season ending injury. The 27-20 loss to the Dolphins was a game you continuously just wanted to turn off and did not know what to even think after it had ended. If someone would have told me that the Titans they were going to win three in a row after that game I would have just laughed, but here we are at 3-1.

What We Learned

The passing game was terrible and non explosive, not to mention the 3 interceptions thrown by the two quarterbacks. Somehow, Blaine Gabbert was able to one-up Marcus Mariota’s awful 37.4 Quarterback Rating with an even worse QBR of 15.4. Not only was the passing game bad but the run defense was non-existent the whole first half, and the pass rush was outmatched all game by the Miami O-line.

Week 2: Titans: 20 Texans: 17

Blaine Gabbert starting at quarterback, Jack Conklin and Taylor Lewan out at offensive tackle, and Delanie Walker out for the season, week two against the Texans seemed improbable. Even while giving up 310 yards to Deshaun Watson, the Titans defense was somehow able to step up and get big stops when they needed them the most. The Titans offense was by no means electric, but with no turnovers Blaine Gabbert was able to get the job done with some help from a special teams touchdown.

What We Learned

It is evident that Mike Vrabel has a vision that the players truly buy into and the Titans are going to run a scheme that suits whoever they have starting. However, the offense is not explosive especially with Gabbert. The offense only averaged 2.9 yards per rush and 5.8 yards per pass (excluding Byard’s 66 yard fake punt touchdown pass). The defense had plenty of problems giving up 8 yards per pass and 5.9 yards per rush, but there was some good. The pass rush showed up by getting 4 sacks, and Adoree’ Jackson had a huge interception covering DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone.

Week 3: Titans: 9 Jaguars: 6

In a game that felt hopeless going into, Gabbert went down in the first quarter and Marcus Mariota came in giving the fans some hope. In a defensive game where it seemed Jacksonville had the edge, the Titans made all the big stops. Winning the turnover battle was a key to this game. With 0 turnovers on offense and a huge fumble recovery on defense by Brian Orakpo, the Titans were able to out-kick the Jags and boost their record to 2-1.

What We Learned

After this game there were more questions than answers. The offense committed 0 turnovers but could not find a way to put the ball in the end zone. With a stunningly low 3.5 yards per pass and decent 4.3 yards per rush, the offense was definitely having its issues even with Lewan back in at tackle. On the other side of the ball, the defense stepped up and only gave up 232 yards to a Jaguars team that had thumped the Patriots just a week before. Blake Bortles looked like a completely different player against the Patriots so it is hard to gauge the Titans performance. Either way, the Titans did just enough of the little things to get the job done.

Week 4: Titans: 26 Eagles: 23

Then the Super Bowl champs rolled into Nissan Stadium for week four. Mariota threw an interception before halftime setting up the Eagles for a field goal to go up 10-3. Then a touchdown early in the third quarter to take a 14 point lead, the energy was sucked out of the building. Mariota responded by completing 15 straight passes in the second half and into overtime. A rushing touchdown from Mariota and then a strip sack from rookie Harold Landry put the Titans in a spot to win the game. After another Titans field goal and eventual touchdown pass to Tajae Sharpe, the Titans took a 20-17 lead before giving up a game tying field goal. Down by 3 in overtime, Mike Vrabel went for it on 4th down 3 times. With a huge catch on 4th and 15 by Taywan Taylor and an incredible catch and run by Dion Lewis on 4th and 2, Mariota capped off one of the best drives of his career by hitting Corey Davis in the end zone on 3rd down with 15 seconds to go. This was the first touchdown reception by Davis in a breakout game.

What We Learned

This game showed us what the Titans are capable of. Going 30-43 with 344 yards and 3 total touchdowns, Mariota proved he can be one of the top quarterbacks this season if he continues to do what he did to the Eagles and outdueling opposing quarterbacks. Mariota showed his ability to scramble outside the pocket by going 10-12 passing with 101 yards when the Eagles were blitzing. With 9 catches for 161 yards Corey Davis showed he can be the #1 receiver for the Titans. Even though the Eagles rank 1st in run defense, the Titans posted an extremely low 70 rushing yards on 22 carries with Mariota accounting for 46 of them. The Titans pass defense had its up’s and down’s against the Eagles, giving up 348 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Titans run defense was also very inconsistent giving up 5.3 yards per carry and 117 yards on the ground. A bright spot of the Titans defense was the pass rush with 4 sacks including a strip sack by rookie Harold Landry.

What We Know at 3-1

On Offense:

The Titans have not been able to run the football as well as they have in years past. Marcus Mariota only has 51 less rushing yards than Derrick Henry. Henry is only averaging 3 yards a carry which is concerning, but the Titans should expect him to increase that stat every game for the rest of the season. The Titans have a whopping 2 rushing touchdowns, one by Mariota and one by Dion Lewis. With a healthy offensive line, the Titans have to start running the ball better to keep up their success. Prior to week four the Titans were not having success thru the air, the second leading receiver going into week four was rookie safety Dane Cruikshank with one catch for 66 yards on a fake punt. Currently, the Titans leading receiver is Corey Davis with 312 yards followed by Taywan Taylor with 139. Alarmingly, Pro-Bowl safety Kevin Byard had more passing touchdowns than Marcus Mariota going into week four. A concerning stat for the Titans going into week five is that they only have 4 passing touchdowns this season including one by Byard. The passing game improved by a mile against the Eagles, but the Titans need to continue to throw the ball like they did in week four to be successful going forward.

On Defense:

The Titans have been coming up clutch when they need big stops. Harold Landry’s strip sack against the Eagles showed us a glimpse of what he is capable of coming off the edge. Jurrell Casey has made some big plays, and Wesley Woodyard is 10th in the NFL in tackles despite being injured early in week four. On the negative side, Malcolm Butler has been playing sub par. In week four Butler was targeted 7 times giving up 7 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. The Titans run defense and pass rush were almost non-existent week one but the pass rush has heated up in recent weeks. The run defense is 24th in the league and has been more inconsistent than anything. If the Titans can improve their run defense and figure out the issue in the secondary, they should not have any problems going forward.

Coaching:

The playcalling on offense has been exceptional. Regardless of who is playing, Matt LaFleur is calling the right plays based on the personnel the Titans have on the field. The playcalling on defense has been great in big moments. Dean Pees has been sending pressure at the right times and backing off pressure at the right times. With a little more consistency in the run defense and Rashaan Evans still easing his way into the lineup, the Titans defense should only be getting better. Mike Vrabel has done an incredible job in the locker room and instilling a mentality that I have never seen in any Titans team. Vrabel is an excellent leader in the locker and on the field. Every player is buying into what he has said and the team truly believes in him. Vrabel’s aggressive mindset, that has helped this team win three in a row, has given the players a new confidence in the team and themselves.

What This All Means

Regardless of who they are playing, the Titans bring an attitude that is winning them games. The Titans grit and determination to find their own ways of winning takes plenty of heart and this team has that. Going forward the Titans need to have more success running the ball and stopping the run. If Mariota can play like he did against the Eagles, the Titans will have a legitimate shot at a run in the playoffs this season. It is hard to really say who the Titans are right now but they have that “it” factor that you really can’t quite put your finger on yet.

Written by Matt Klett