Week nine was a rollercoaster—mostly going downhill—but somehow we snuck away with the overtime win thanks to the angelic foot of arguably our best (and most consistent) player: Nick Folk. Just when it looked like we might serve ourselves another helping of defeat, the boys in two-tone blue managed to scrape out a win and get off the schneid. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. But let’s break it all down in this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The WTFugly—or, as the cool kids say, #GBWTF.
THE GOOD
REMEMBER THE TITANS?
I don’t know about you, but I almost forgot what it feels like to wake up on a Monday after a Titans win! Sure, we nearly crumbled there at the end heading into overtime, but there’s still a faint glimmer of hope that this season isn’t totally dead. Call me crazy, but the playoffs are still technically in play, so all you "Tank for [Insert QB Flavor of the Month]" folks can chill out. It’s not over until the fat guy hoists the Lombardi again. (Looking at you, Andy Reid!)
TONY THE TIGER
Is Tony Pollard the team MVP through eight games? PEOPLE ARE ASKING. No, seriously—a lot of people are actually asking. After putting up 154 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per carry, Tony P now boasts 757 total yards of offense, ranking him 10th in the league in rushing. Cornholio may need TP for his bunghole, but here in Nashville, we need TP just so we don’t crap out every week.
TWO TONE TURNOVERS
This past Sunday, we had three—count ‘em, three—forced turnovers! From Arden Key’s second strip sack of the season to Amani Hooker’s two-interception performance, it was the kind of defensive showing we’ve rarely seen this year. Here’s hoping we can build on that second-half dominance and start turning things around before the draft dodgers start crying over our pick position next May in Green Bay.
NICK ENDZONE-IKHINE
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has now racked up four touchdowns in four straight games. Go ahead and start laying the foundation for his statue outside Nissan Stadium… but, please, hire someone other than whoever did the Dwayne Wade statue. Seriously, what even was that thing? Let’s make sure Nick’s statue doesn’t look like it’s haunted or straight out of an art school fever dream!
THE BAD
ALMOST GAVE IT ALL AWAY
As fun as it was watching the boys pull off that overtime win, we got a full dose of the same ol' Titans. Drake Maye ran back and forth, back and forth—seriously, he must’ve crossed half of Nashville—before throwing the game-tying touchdown as the clock hit zero. Let’s just thank our lucky stars the Pats didn’t go for two, or half of us would be right back up on the ledge of the Batman building!
SOMEBODY HAS A CASE OF THE DROPSIES
Though Agent Zero came in clutch by hauling in Mason Rudolph’s overtime darts, his three drops almost cost us as we watched the game tie up right at the buzzer. Look, I don’t expect him to catch every pass, especially when we’re talking about Mason Rudolph here, but he’s got to stop looking upfield before the ball is secure. Sure, he’s fast and shifty, but all that doesn’t mean squat if the ball’s hitting the ground half the time it’s thrown his way.
THE INJURY BUG IS HERE
Sunday’s victory didn’t come without a price—and no, I’m not talking about the $200 you dropped on beer and burgers inside Nissan Stadium. I’m talking about losing both Cush and Diggs for the season when they were playing at such a high level. With our starting QB and free-agent acquisition L'Jarius Sneed already out, this was not the news we needed heading into the back half of the season. Let's hope the injury bug stays the hell away from the Titans locker room for the rest of 2024.
THE WTFUGLY??!!
Thank you Nick Folk and God Bless America.
WHY CAN'T WE PUT TEAMS AWAY
Look. If you take away those two blocked punts to start the season, plus the late-game defensive collapse against the Colts, we’d be sitting at 5-3 with nine games to go in a very beatable AFC South. The Texans have come back to earth, the Jaguars are still… well, the Jaguars, and the Colts just benched their so-called "franchise" QB for a guy older than half of you reading this. Sure, Levis has had his fair share of "growing pains" (to put it mildly), but this team isn’t nearly as bad as it looks on paper. We just can’t close out games. I was just as surprised as you when we pulled it off on Sunday, but the classic Titans collapse was in full display until Amani Hooker finally sealed the deal.
Titans fans we got another dub. Don't jump just yet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TI is the brains behind both the "Titans Idiot Nation" and "Sports Idiot Nation" as well as 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 some more while tolerating the Tennessee Titans.
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