Titans Of The Jungle – Tennessee Titans Week 4 Recap & Analysis

Nashville — Mike Vrabel and the Titans were looking for a bounce back game against the Cincinnati Bengals after a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. At the onset of the game, it looked like it would be a similar type of game for Tennessee.

The Bengals marched down the field on a 11-play, 72-yard drive on their first possession. Quarterback Joe Burrow was in rhythm and Cincinnati seemed to get whatever they wanted on the way to a field goal to go up 3-0.

It would be the only three points they scored the entire game. Tennessee would answer with a 15-play drive of their own that was capped off by a field goal from Nick Folk.

The Titans would then explode, starting with a five-play, 78-yard drive ending in a 13-yard touchdown reception by Nicholas Westbrook-Ikhine touchdown. The boys in two-tone blue would go on to score on their next two drives to go up 24-3 going into halftime behind rushing and passing touchdowns from Derrick Henry.

The Titans would come out of halftime and continue their hot streak, scoring their 27th unanswered point on a Nick Folk field goal to go up 27-3 which was the final score.

Overview:

The Titans had a set recipe for the victory on Sunday, blitz and balance! They got consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly called his most balanced game of the season.

The Titans gave the Bengals a heavy dose of Derrick Henry between the tackles and then used that to set up the intermediate and deep passing game. Ryan Tannehill protected the ball and helped sustain drives, giving the defense time to recover. The Titans were a very good 8-13 (61.5%) on 3rd downs, which was a big part of why they were so efficient on offense.

Kelly also called a good game in the red zone going 2-4 and scoring on their only goal-to-go situation. Just to put that into perspective, they were 0-3 in Week 1 and 0-2 in Week 3 in both losses. In Week 2, they went 3-4 in the red zone and scored both times on there goal-to-go situations.

The defense came to play as it has all season long, this being their best performance thus far. They got to Burrow all game, totaling nine hits and sacking him three times. The secondary played their best game as well, allowing just 165 yards and a 14.3 QBR. This defense looked like a completely different unit than week three.

 

Positives:

• Making It Count: Titans scored on 50% of  their red zone trips.
• Back On The Throne: Derrick Henry rushed for over 100 yards (122) and touched the ball 24 times.
• Formidable Front: The front seven attributed to nine QB hits and three sacks on the day.
• Next Man Up: Chris Moore and Nicholas Westbrook-Ikhine both had good games in Treylon Burks’ absence.
• We Must Protect This House: Titans are now 2-0 on the year at Nissan Stadium.

Negatives:

• Turn Style: Titans gave up three sacks on the day and the offensive line was up and down in pass protection.
• Unsecure Rock: Titans were intercepted and fumbled three times.
• Low Fuel: Offense seemed to taper off in the second half after a 21-point explosion in the second quarter.

The Titans jump into division play next week as they travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts. Can they capture their first win on the road?