Titans End Preseason With Loss, Young Players Make Final Push

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans closed out their preseason with a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, but with most of the starters on the sideline, the night was more about evaluation than the final score.

 

Overview

Head coach Robert Saleh elected to rest most of Tennessee’s starters after a strong showing in joint practices earlier in the week. Jeffery Simmons, Cam Ward, Peter Skoronski and several other key contributors were held out as the coaching staff turned its attention toward the back end of the roster.

Backup quarterbacks Will Levis and Hendon Hooker split the game with each playing one half.

Levis delivered a solid performance, completing 14-of-22 passes for 143 yards. He led three scoring drives with his best possession coming late in the second quarter. Levis guided the Titans 69 yards down the field to help cut into Chicago’s lead before halftime.

Hooker took over in the second half and turned in the type of performance expected from a quarterback fighting for a roster spot. He completed 5-of-8 passes for 37 yards and led Tennessee’s only touchdown drive of the night.

That score came at the end of a 10-play, 84-yard drive capped by a D’Ernest Johnson touchdown run.

Defensively, the Titans surrendered 398 total yards but several young defenders still managed to make an impression.

Rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. spent most of the night at the middle linebacker position and handled the responsibility of calling the defense as well. He finished with five tackles and continued to make the type of plays that should help solidify his role on the roster.

Femi Oladejo also flashed in his second preseason with Tennessee. He recorded two tackles and a sack while consistently generating pressure off the edge.

With the preseason complete, Tennessee will now turn its attention toward final roster decisions. The Titans must trim the roster to 53 players ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline on August 30.

 

Positives

– Young Depth: Anthony Hill Jr., Femi Oladejo, and Bishop Fitzgerald all flashed potential and showed signs that they could develop into future contributors for Tennessee.
– Nick-Knack Patty Wack: Nick Singleton finished with 44 all-purpose yards and may have done enough to secure the HB3 role on Tennessee’s 53-man roster.
– No Major Injuries: The Titans came out of the preseason finale relatively healthy as they begin preparing for the New York Jets.

 

Negatives

– Offensive Struggles: Tennessee failed to find the end zone until the fourth quarter and struggled to finish drives.
– Defensive No-Show: The Titans surrendered 398 total yards, marking the third consecutive preseason game in which they allowed at least 250 yards of offense.
– Ball on the Turf: Tennessee fumbled three times, making it the second preseason game in which the offense put the ball on the ground that many times.