Standard procrastination, life and honestly the election have all distracted me but I am glad to recap the game against the Patriots from this past Sunday!
The Titans and Patriots are both very bad teams in full re-build mode, but these types of games are still fun sometimes and can potentially be intriguing to look back on as seasons pass. Boy, this game was pretty fun! (fun since the Titans ended up winning - LOL)
The Titans started out HOT with a sweet opening drive touchdown but promptly slowed down considerably for much of the game. Other than Tony Pollard, that man was COOKING. I am really starting to see just how talented this guy is. I hope he can manage to stay healthy because he seems to be the team's entire offense at times. He is just a SUPER balanced back with + traits in vision and cutting abilities. Truly fun to watch and super tough. So far he is maintaining the team's running back pedigree if that makes sense. The Titans always seem to get their hands on a solid running back, and I love that. Old school or not, it is great to watch. Glad he's a TITAN!
Defensively, the Titans were pretty dang good. Drake Maye was scrambling A LOT but eventually the Titans managed to contain him. Mason Rudolph and Drake Maye are apparently friends and their families go way back which is a pretty interesting fact.
The game was 10-10 in the middle of the fourth quarter until Mason Rudolph connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a SWEET looking touchdown pass with a little over four minutes left in regulation. NWI has had a touchdown reception in FOUR straight games. His evolution and consistency as a player is a real treat to watch over the past few years! Mason Rudolph had his best day as a Titan I would say too! 240 yards passing, two passing touchdowns and a clean 90.5 passer rating. He had to also navigate working with a new center in Corey Levin after Lloyd Cushenberry went down with an injury.
Late in the fourth, rookie QB Drake Maye led the Patriots on an insane fourth quarter drive ending with a pretty great play when he scrambled around for what felt like 30 seconds and finally somehow found Rhamondre Stevenson for a touchdown with ZERO time on the clock. The game went to OT and the Titans almost had a touchdown to end the game thanks to Pollard being an absolute tank, but Rudolph and Levin screwed up the snap and the Titans had to settle for a field goal.
The Titans defense had a chance to rest though thanks to the drive being so long, and the Titans took advantage. Amani Hooker ended it with an interception when Maye tried to throw a laser and be a hero. It was Amani's SECOND pick of the day and the tenth of his career! Amani is a quality safety, and he has been very healthy so far in 2024!
This game was full of penalties and in many ways was ugly. But the Titans looked kind of really good in some ways. They had energy and looked pretty physical. It was against the Patriots but still. The Patriots were fresh off a win over the Jets, who the Titans lost to earlier this year. The Jets also just beat the Texans somehow. So, this win looks slightly better than meets the eye.
Man, it was so nice to watch the Titans actually look like they give a crap. Even Calvin Ridley looked good. It was just a really fun win IN Nashville. The crowd looked a bit smaller since the Titans have been bad, but it was still pretty full and the fans that were there seemed pretty loud!
It's the little things. Who knows how many more Titans wins I will watch in this life, so I am just simply happy to watch the two-tone blue boys show out a bit.
The Chargers game this week seems halfway winnable all of a sudden. A win streak would possibly give me a heart attack LOL.
This win was awesome man. My soul needed it.
It was interesting to see Callahan get emotional after the win. He is still a first year head coach so all of this is new to him. It's hard to get a read on Callahan at this point. He seems slightly robotic and kind of vanilla in front of the media at times. He seems nice though and detailed in his responses. He's got a quiet confidence. Seeing him get a little choked up shows he does care and is human. Interesting cat for sure.
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