The Tennessee Titans dropped their preseason opener to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium, 23-10. With the win, Baltimore kept the most unimportant streak in sports intact by winning its 21st consecutive preseason game.
After a solid showing from the Malik Willis-led offense in the first half, the unit was stifled in the second half with Logan Woodside under center.
Tennessee’s defense, which featured mostly backups, had its issues but was able to keep the Ravens out of the end zone in the final two quarters after allowing a pair of touchdowns in the first half.
While we didn’t see many starters for the Titans, we did get our first look at some of their rookies, including all but one member (Roger McCreary) of the 2022 draft class. Overall, it was a good night for the newest Titans, which is far more important than the final score.
Now, let’s dive a bit deeper and take a look at the most notable things about Tennessee’s preseason debut on Thursday night.
Final score: Ravens 23, Titans 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| TEN | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| BAL | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
Who didn't play?
Via Paul Kuharsky:
.@Titans starters on offense:
QB Willis
WR McMath
WR FItzpatrick
RB Chestnut
FB Carter
TE Hudson
LT Petit-Frere
LG Jones
C Brewer
RG Levin
RT Radunz— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 11, 2022
.@Titans starters on defense:
DL Hand
DL Jones
DL Tart
ILB Campbell
OLB Walker
OLB Weaver
CB Farley
CB Fulton
DB Carter
S Moore
S Jackson— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 11, 2022
(Offensive) line change on this 3rd series. Christian DiLauro, Xavier Newman, Corey Levin, Jordan Roos and Petit-Frere from left to right
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) August 12, 2022
Titans' top performers
QB Malik Willis: 6-11, 107 yards; 5 carries, 38 yards, TD
WR Racey McMath: 1 catch, 48 yards; 30-yard kick return
RB Julius Chestnut: 7 carries, 44 yards (long 29), fumble lost; 1 catch, 12 yards
OLB David Anenih: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, forced fumble
Instant analysis: Offense and special teams
-It was a good night overall for Willis, who displayed his arm strength with a deep ball to Racey McMath for 48 yards and a sick sidearm throw to Tommy Hudson. Willis also had a pair of impressive scrambles, one for a seven-yard score and another for a 17-yard gain to close out his evening.
-The rookie showed good patience on multiple occasions when he stuck in the pocket and tried to make a play with his arm before taking off. On the flip side, he also took off too early on a few occasions, missed some throws and held on to the ball when he should have thrown it away a few times. That said, mistakes like these are to be expected with a rookie, especially in his debut. I’m not sure the Titans could have hoped for any better than what we saw from Willis.
Related: Willis’ highlights from preseason debut
-Tennessee’s offensive line didn’t make things any easier for Willis, as protection broke down multiple times, forcing Willis to improvise. He was sacked twice, with Christian DiLauro to blame for one of them.
-When compared to Logan Woodside, Willis was better. Woodside tossed a pair of picks and couldn’t eclipse Willis’ passing yards mark (107 to 102) despite throwing 13 more passes. The offense completely stalled once Woodside took over and didn’t score in the second half. After this game, it’s hard to say Woodside would give the Titans a better chance to win than Willis if Tannehill gets hurt. The rookie simply has more tricks in his bag, and he looked like the better player on Thursday night.
-Racey McMath continues to show his deep-ball prowess after getting loose for a 48-yard reception. He didn’t need to do much to further prove he belongs on this roster, but he added a 30-yard kick return for good measure.
–Kick returners: RB Trenton Cannon (2-50), WR Racey McMath (1-30), WR Terry Godwin (1-25)
–Punt returners: WR Kyle Philips (2-16)
-Philips didn’t have a lot of room to operate on punts, but we saw some of the shifty moves he has. He saw one target in the passing game but was held without a catch.
-Nicholas Petit-Frere started the game at left tackle with Dillon Radunz on the right side. The rookie then switched to the right side after Radunz was pulled. He was impressive and looked comfortable in his debut. Check out this nice block that helped spring Chestnut for a 29-yard run.
Chestnut with some redemption pic.twitter.com/BZnTQbPsds
— Bussin' With The Boys 🐺 (@BussinWTB) August 12, 2022
-Julius Chestnut was the Titans’ best back overall, but he didn’t help himself with a lost fumble on his second carry.
-Hassan Haskins had a few strong runs but managed 19 yards on six carries. The offensive line didn’t help his cause. The rookie made a bigger impact in the passing game with three catches for 29 yards, and he would’ve had another big gain through the air if not for a penalty.
-It was a quiet night for Chigoziem Okonkwo and Treylon Burks. Chig had one catch for five yards on two targets, one of which saw Willis miss him high. Burks had one carry on a jet sweep for four yards. He did get a target in the end zone on a jump ball, but was unable to come down with it.
-Ryan Stonehouse is giving Brett Kern a run for his money, While the veteran was very good with a 54-yard average on three punts (long 58), Stonehouse was slightly better, averaging 59 yards per punt on two attempts, including a 60-yard bomb.
-Terry Godwin (4-31) and Mason Kinsey (2-30) were among Tennessee’s most productive receivers, along with McMath (1-48), who led the way.
Instant analysis: Defense
-Justin Lawler did not have a good night. He had trouble setting the edge on defense, and he committed a holding penalty on a kickoff that negated a 58-yard return from Terry Godwin. Joe Jones also showed warts against the run.
-Rashad Weaver was getting push in the pass-rush and made a beautiful play on a carry by setting the edge and notching a tackle for loss. He had two tackles overall.
-Caleb Farley was beaten for a reception early on and slipped in the process, but he had some good reps, also, and was solid overall. Farley saw snaps on special teams as well (punts and kickoffs).
-Shakur Brown has done nothing but make plays in practice since being signed, and he nearly had an interception on Thursday night. He added three tackles.
-The Titans’ secondary depth did not have a good night, as the Ravens’ backups completed 28-of-35 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. Chris Jackson was a victim in coverage on multiple occasions, including on a sick touchdown catch by Shemar Bridges before exiting with a knee injury.
-David Anenih was one of the most impressive players on defense. He had three tackles and a pair of sacks, including one that resulted in a fumble. He’s officially on the 53-man roster radar after Thursday night.
-Chance Campbell got his hand on a pass in coverage but Isaiah Likely was still able to reel it in with a sick catch. He added a pair of tackles.
-Jack Gibbens (aka Dr. Gibby) was quite active and led the team with eight tackles.
Injuries
Mike Keith says on @titansradio that Tommy Hudson is in the injury evaluation tent on #Titans sideline.
— Mickey Ryan (@MickeyRyan1045) August 12, 2022
Ola Adeniyi was back on the last play for the #Titans after going down late in the first half.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 12, 2022
DB Chris Jackson is OUT with a knee injury for @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 12, 2022
Kevin Strong down for the @Titans, injured
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 12, 2022
What's next
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will be available to the media on Friday, and then Tennessee will return to the practice field on Saturday, with the session set to begin at 1:30 p.m. CT.
