After a putrid start, the Tennessee Titans found a way to notch their first victory of the 2023 season with a 27-24 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Things seemed hopeless early on, as the Titans’ offense struggled mightily en route to single-digit yardage in the first quarter. However, thanks to some big plays, the Titans’ offense came alive and rebounded after an awful Week 1.
Buy Titans TicketsTennessee had a three-point lead late in regulation but the defense, which was up and down all game long, was unable to get a stop, allowing the Chargers to force overtime with a field goal.
But after getting a stop on Los Angeles’ drive to open overtime, the Titans put together a successful series and drove down the field to close out the win with a Nick Folk field goal.
Here’s a look at everything we know from the Titans’ Week 2 win over the Chargers.
Final score: Titans 27, Chargers 24
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F |
| LAC | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| TEN | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
Titans' top performers
QB Ryan Tannehill: 20/24, 246 YDS, TD; 1 CAR, 12 YDS, TD
WR Treylon Burks: 3 REC, 76 YDS
RB Derrick Henry: 25 CAR, 79 YDS, TD; 3 REC, 15 YDS
CB Roger McCreary: 6 tackles, TFL
DL Jeffery Simmons: 5 tackles, 1 sack, TFL, 2 QB hits
Instant analysis: Offense
-While there were still some issues with pocket presence and holding on to the ball for too long, Tannehill was MUCH better in this game, both with his accuracy and decision-making. He connected on a pair of beautiful deep balls off play-action to Treylon Burks and Chris Moore, which were huge for two of Tennessee’s touchdown drives. He also didn’t commit a single turnover and added a rushing touchdown for good measure. There are still some things to clean up but this was a very encouraging performance from the Titans signal-caller.
-Tannehill, who was sacked five times, had success despite the offensive line doing him no favors in pass protection. The group struggled early on, settled down, and then reverted back to poor play late. Thankfully, the unit was able to hold up just enough for Tannehill to make enough plays to win this game. Xavier Newman started at left guard and didn’t play well, which led to him being pulled and replaced by Dillon Radunz in the second quarter. That said, this unit’s problems were more than just about Newman The run-blocking was better than the pass protection, but not by much.
-Burks (70 yards) and Moore (49 yards) came up with two of the biggest catches of the day. DeAndre Hopkins’ catch in overtime put the Titans in position for the game-winning field goal. Tennessee also did a good job getting Chig Okonkwo more involved in this one.
-The Titans shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions with pre-snap penalties, something that was an issue last week and has to be cleaned up moving forward.
-After going 2-for-12 on third downs and 0-for-3 in the red zone last week, the Titans were 6-for-13 and 3-for-4, respectively.
Instant analysis: Defense
-The defensive front got some big sacks in key moments but wasn’t as good at getting pressure consistently as last week, which exposed a short-handed secondary. The run defense was spectacular, as always.
-The secondary is still giving up too many big plays and communication was an issue at times, but considering the pass-rush wasn’t as good this week, things could’ve been a lot worse. It was a bend-but-don’t-break effort from the secondary, and the defense as a whole.
-Despite the struggles, the Titans’ defense forced a three-and-out at the start of overtime to give the offense a chance to win the game. Sean Murphy-Bunting had a big pass break-up during the series.
-Roger McCreary was all over the place making tackles.
-Welcome back, Harold Landry! The Boston College product notched a huge sack in the fourth quarter that thwarted a potential game-winning drive and forced the contest into overtime. Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry also added a sack apiece.
-The Titans’ tackling was putrid in this game, allowing the Chargers to pick up extra yardage on far too many occasions.
-The Chargers were 2-for-5 in the red zone and just 2-for-14 on third downs.
Instant analysis: Special teams
-Nick Folk remains perfect on the year after hitting both of his field goal attempts, including the game-winner in overtime.
-Ryan Stonehouse’s booming leg was huge for the Titans in this game, as he flipped the field on several occasions when the offense struggled. He averaged a ridiculous 61.2 yards per punt.
-Per usual, nothing to speak of with the Titans’ return game.
Highlights
AIR MAIL! ✉️@ryantannehill1 ➡️ @TreylonBurks
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/4loJpZtQgW
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
.@KingHenry_2 goes 🆙
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/rBtgcCWm8v
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
He's still got it @ryantannehill1 🏃♂️💨
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/y8x6vqwaE3
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
LET BIG JEFF EAT 🍽️
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/KwVClgo3nE
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
MOORE OF THIS 🚀
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/VPg9ycl5Oo
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
.@ryantannehill1 threading the needle 🪡
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/jbPltOwE7V
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
Not a bad time for your first sack of the season @HaroldLandry
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/N2pg6biBhL
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
FOLK HERO!
📺: Watch #LACvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/CGwtDshJ24
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) September 17, 2023
What's next?
With the Week 2 victory, the Titans move to 1-1 and will look ahead to a tough Week 3 road matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
