Home, Sweet Home, amirite? What's the deal with Nissan Stadium? Does it have a force field that prevents us from unleashing our truest form? On the road, we play uptight. Rigid. But here in Nashville, the bachelorette capital of the world, we know how to let our hair down and have some fun! This past Sunday, our Tennessee Titans clinched their fourth win of the season – some highs, some lows, and a whole lot of in-between. So, let's buckle up for this week's edition of 'The Good, The Bad & The WTFugly.'
THE GOOD
THE KING ECLIPSES 9,000
9000 freaking yards. Let that sink in for a moment. Nine Thousand!? Huge congratulations to the king for joining the exclusive club of only eight players in NFL history to amass 9000+ rushing yards and 80 rushing TDs before hitting the big 3-0. And get this, he's not even 30 yet and already sits at 17th all time in NFL history for touchdowns. Really makes you question what you're doing with your life, doesn't it?
LEADER OF THE PACK
Will Levis is stepping into a leadership role with gusto. He's not just talking the talk; he's vocal, focused, and fully aware that this is his team. Arden Key attested to Levis's burgeoning leadership qualities, praising his poise in the pocket, ability to absorb hits, and precision in delivering the ball across the field. Key even highlighted a pivotal moment where Levis took charge, breaking down the huddle before the game. It wasn't the veterans or the seasoned players—it was him. Levis rallied the team, recognizing the "dawgs" within the group and urging them to hit the field with that same mentality. I believe in this kid and his teammates do as well.
TANKING IS FOR SUCKERS
We ain't dead yet, fool. Y'all can keep that tanking nonsense for your other favorite teams, you bunch of bandwagon bozos, because us Titans fans don't believe in losing. Sure, we've gotten used to losing over the years, sort of like an abusive relationship, but that doesn't mean we've come to believe in it now. We're not Browns fans, okay?
ROGER THAT
War Damn Roger McCreary! I don't know if he was funneling his Iron Bowl frustration into his performance on Sunday, but that guy was sticking to Adam Thielen like white on rice. In a season where Thielen has racked up 75 catches and almost 750 yards, McCreary and the Titans limited him to just 1 catch for 2 yards on Sunday. While the unit still gave up too many receptions, McCreary is showing consistent improvement week after week.
ALL I NEED IS ONE SACK
Just one sack and four QB hits – that's the grand total of what we allowed this past Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Heading into the game, Carolina boasted the 7th-ranked total defense, so it was thrilling to witness the Titans not only maneuver the ball effectively through the air and on the ground but also to keep Will Levis from snacking on blades of grass all afternoon.
THE BAD
THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS A WIP
The running game was effective. The passing game was efficient. I saw Billy Jeans upright for most of the afternoon, which is a vast improvement from the two weeks prior. And Jaelyn Duncan’s first career start was a impressive for a 6th round pick. Sure we have LOTS of work to do when it comes to stabilzing this dumpster fire of a line that we've been patchworking together, but Duncan Looks like he should remain the starting LT for the remainder of the season and possibly into next year depending on how he finishes out.
CONSERVATIVE PLAYCALLING NEEDS TO GO
We're up 17-3 in the second quarter, the crowd is raucous, and we're hungry for more points. It's been ages since we've witnessed first-half touchdowns, and Nissan Stadium is primed to explode. The anticipation is palpable – surely, we're about to blow this game wide open in the second half, right? WRONG. Instead, we opted for the most conservative string of play calls this side of Ronald Reagan. Talk about a plot twist!
WHAT'S WITH THE PENALTIES?
After racking up eight penalties for 54 yards on Sunday, Coach Vrabel is well aware that they need to clean up their act if they want to keep competing. Sure, it's easy to slip up against a team that's only secured one victory, but you can't keep sabotaging your own momentum week in and week out with bone head plays and rookie mistakes. Tackling this issue is a crucial area for the Titans to make significant improvements for the remainder of the season and beyond.
THE WTFUGLY??!!
(David Tepper selecting the next Panthers or CharlotteFC Coach to fire)
PANTHER'S OWNER IS BAD NEWS
Panthers owner David Tepper is really testing the limits, huh? If Ebenezer Scrooge were a living, breathing person, I'm convinced Dave would be his real-world counterpart. This guy has shown a knack for firing every single head coach he's brought on board since snatching up the team in 2018. And the kicker? He's not just doing it in the offseason; oh no, he's making it a mid-season extravaganza. From Ron Rivera in 2019 to Matt Rhule in 2022 and now the latest victim, Frank Reich, this past week. It seems like he has a button labeled "Eject Coach" and he just can't resist pushing it early and often.
Classic Tepper. Clearly, he missed the valuable life lesson that you can't just restart when things get tricky. The Panthers find themselves in a bit of a pickle—a rookie QB, a struggling O-line, a shortage of offensive weapons, and to top it off, no first-round pick in the 2024 draft. Oh, and let's not forget the owner who seems to have a fondness for firing everyone. Yikes indeed! It's like navigating a football minefield over there.
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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