I guess it's safe to say this season hasn't gone according to plan. Things went south quickly, and I'm not talking about our back-to-back road trips to Tampa and Jacksonville. Look, I enjoy Jaggoff week just like the next fan, but first, we reluctantly need to take a look back at Sunday's debacle in this week's edition of 'The Good, The Bad & The WTFugly.'
THE GOOD
IT'S KYLE PHILLIPS SZN
This has been a unexpected season, I'll be the first to admit, but two weeks in a row with Kyle Phillips as the Titans' leading receiver has me scratching my head. Since Will Levis has taken over at QB, Phillips has ten catches for 154 yards while averaging 15 yards per catch. It's nothing special, I get it. But good lort, it's a welcome surprise and what I hope is a budding connection between two young future longterm Titans stars.
HONOR LANDRY RETURNING TO FORM
With nine total tackles and a sack, along with two QB hits, is it safe to say court is back in session? It was unfortunate when Landry went down before last season could even kick off, but it's starting to look like he's slowly returning to form. It might be a bit too soon to definitively say he's back, but things are trending up. With 32 total tackles on the year, along with five sacks, it's great to see him making an impact on the field again.
WILL LEVIS IS A TOUGH SOB
So far, Billy Jeans has taken a beating. Ten sacks through three games might seem pedestrian, but this isn't as simple as a paint-by-numbers canvas. Levis now has the honor of being the third most pressured QB in the NFL this season, only three games into his career. As my man Austin from Korked Bats asked, 'If you buy a Will Levis jersey, does it come complete with grass stains?' 699 yards and four touchdowns with two picks through three games behind the worst OL in franchise history? Well I'll be damned. SIGN ME UP!
THE BAD
WHY 78 PASS ATTEMPTS?
Will Levis is a rookie. I'm not taking away anything from him, but he's a rookie making his third official start in the NFL. For two consecutive weeks, Tim Kelly and co. have asked him to throw the ball 39 times. This is not how you win football games. You can't ask a rookie QB in his second and third games ever to throw the ball 39 freaking times. That is not Titans football. Derrick Henry needs Will Levis to throw the ball 22-25 times.
WHY 28 RUSH ATTEMPTS?
In every win we've had this season, Derrick Henry has had 20 or more chances to stiff-arm an opposing defender into the stands. In every loss this season, he has not, including this past Sunday where he was given less than 12 chances. Yep, you read that right. You can't have the second-leading rusher in the NFL only getting 11 carries. In the last two weeks, he has had a combined 28 carries. This is not how you win football games. That is not Titans football. Will Levis needs Derrick Henry to run the ball 22-25 times.
PLAY CALLING ROULETTE
You read the previous points above... What are we doing?? Why are we kicking field goals when we need to go for it? Why are we attempting 51-yard field goals when Will Levis is cooking? Why are we settling for field goals to cut two-score games to two-score games? Why are we continuously shooting ourselves in the head? What are we doing here, folks?
THE WTFUGLY??!!
(visual representation of the Titans OL)
WE ARE THE WORST OL IN THE NFL
The Miami Dolphins have given up 15 sacks. The Kansas City Chiefs have given up 12. We have given up 14 (and counting) sacks from the left tackle position alone. It's almost like we've been cursed since Taylor Lewan started going down with injuries. We just haven't been able to fix the leak.
We've allowed the fourth most sacks in the NFL this season at 33, including eight in just the last two weeks alone. We're on pace for a whopping 63 sacks allowed. To put things into perspective, as terrible as last year went, we only allowed 49 total sacks all season long. Gross. Can somebody get Dennis Daley on the phone? We're holding out for a hero, here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TI is the brains behind the "Titans Idiot Nation" and an avid sports fanatic and pop culture enthusiast who is unhealthily obsessed with football, especially the NFL. When he's not yelling at his TV, he enjoys running, spending time with his family and of course, yelling at his TV.
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