Ryan Tannehill rebounds as the Titans defeat the Chargers in OT

The 308-day regular-season losing streak is over, the Titans have finally won a game. After last week’s disastrous loss to the Saints, the Titans bounced back and defeated the Chargers 27-24 in OT. Tennessee played a much more polished and cleaner game today as a whole, especially QB Ryan Tannehill. Here are my reactions and takeaways from the Titans home opener win!!

As I stated above, Ryan Tannehill bounced back in a big way today and was the best player on the Titans’ offense today. Tannehill completed 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. The start of the game was rough for the offense, as Tannehill and the offensive line struggled mightily, which led to some boos from the Nissan Stadium crowd. After those boos, we saw a different 17 and a different Titans’ offense. Treylon Burks had the first momentum-shifting play with a massive 70-yard catch, which led to a Derrick Henry TD. Chris Moore and NWI stepped up big time on the Titans’ last offensive drive in regulation, as Moore had a 49-yard catch, and NWI had the go-ahead TD. Deandre Hopkins was quiet at times, but was money on third downs, and was on the receiving end of the catch that set the Titans up in field goal range in OT. Henry and Spears have officially entered the argument as the best RB duo in the NFL. Spears was excellent today in key situations and was efficient with his carries, as he had 49 yards in just eight carries. Derrick wasn’t too efficient today but picked up some pivotal third and shorts and blasted a one-yard TD. Chig Okonkwo also had some big catches on key downs, as he added 35 yards on four catches. Overall, it was a refreshing, bounce-back game from the Titans’ offense as a whole, though the offensive line did struggle in pass protection for most of the game…

The Titans’ defense was very up and down today, but made big plays when they needed to. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen absolutely roasted the Titans’ secondary the entire game, especially Allen. Williams did most of his work over the middle of the field, which is a weak spot for the Titans. Per usual, the Titans’ pass rush was excellent, and arguably saved the Titans the game. Harold Landry reminded us that he was a double-digit sack guy just a few years ago late in the fourth, as he sacked Herbert for a big loss that forced the Chargers to settle for three. Big Jeff and Teair Tart did what they always do, controlling the middle of the line of scrimmage and wreaking havoc. It was a bit of a quiet game for Arden Key, but Denico Autry made up for it with a stellar performance of their own. Though the defense did give up some big plays deep to the Chargers’ pass catchers and allowed over 300 passing yards, they came up huge in key stops. They bailed out the Titans’ offense in the third quarter when they kept stalling, the secondary tightened up to force a key three and out in OT, and kept the Titans in the game in the first half…

Nick Folk hit the game-winner in OT to win it from 41 yards out, and it’s just so nice to have a kicker!! It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the Titans did what they always do: Find a way to win the dang game!!!

Photos from TennesseeTitans.com