Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans surprised, beating the Kansas City Chiefs in a 26-10 routing on the road.
Although the score may not sound that one-sided, the Chiefs' only trip to the end zone came on the back of a long series of penalties by the Titans as much as it did by their own efforts.
Outside of a ridiculous 12 penalties, the Titans looked sharp in every aspect of the game, with no unit looking like much of a weak link.
Here are report card grades for each group.
Quarterback
1 of 9
Jake Locker made a few bad decisions, a few bad throws and took too many sacks, but no one expects perfection.
Locker was great, and his stat line shows it. Locker completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards and two scores. He also had six runs for 14 yards.
A lot of the credit goes to the Titans defense for giving Locker a lot of opportunities, but Locker capitalized and made a lot of plays himself.
It also doesn't hurt to remember that Kansas City has one of the best stables of pass-rushers in the NFL, along with one of the premier safeties in the game in Eric Berry. It was on the backs of their defense that the Chiefs won 11 games in 2013, so with that context, Locker's performance shines.
Grade: A-
Running Backs
2 of 9
Dexter McCluster saw the lion's share of the action early on, and he did well with nine carries for 29 yards and a 17-yard reception. McCluster is definitely not a power back, but he looks like he'll be exactly what the Titans need him to be: a speed back who can have a big hand in the passing game.
Shonn Greene ended up with the most carries, and he finished with 15 carries for 71 yards. If there were any questions about his injury from 2013, they've been answered now.
Bishop Sankey made an appearance at the end of the game and looked impressive with six carries for 25 yards against a defensive front that knew the run was coming. I look forward to seeing what he'll do in the future.
Even Leon Washington had a couple of carries, including a long one for 16 yards.
The running back-by-committee approach that Ken Whisenhunt is bringing looks like it's going to work pretty well.
Grade: B+
Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 9
Justin Hunter looks like an emerging star, and he was Locker's favorite target. He made a couple of very difficult catches for big gains and ended the day with three receptions for 63 yards. He had eight total targets.
Kendall Wright hasn't missed a step from 2013 either. He had six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. His forte remained yards after the catch, and that's where he shined against the Chiefs.
Nate Washington continues to be a reliable downfield target, coming away with four catches for 59 yards.
The tight ends had a good day as well. Delanie Walker caught three passes for 37 yards and the other Titans touchdown, and Taylor Thompson had a couple of catches for 24 yards, including one very low pass which was nearly uncatchable.
Derek Hagan was the only other receiver with a catch, and his sole reception was for nine yards. Depth is a problem, but with a top-heavy group, if they stay healthy, they'll be a strength for the team going forward.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 9
The offensive line gave up four sacks, but against Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Dontari Poe and Berry, that's not bad.
What was bad was the slew of holding and false start penalties on the offensive line.
Veteran Michael Roos had a bad game. He was beaten by Hali repeatedly, and a couple of sacks resulted from that. Still, he's a good tackle, but the Roos of two years ago would've held Hali in check much more effectively.
Chance Warmack and Brian Schwenke looked much improved from their rookie seasons, and they seem to be working well together.
Michael Oher was a mixed bag, but even though he's likely the worst starter on the offensive line, he's not awful and played pretty well against a tough defensive front.
The offensive line is good, but there are reasons to worry. They may look better against weaker defenses, but for now, they're a little lacking.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 9
I could not have been more wrong about the defensive line. Jurrell Casey transitioned well to his new position and was a constant problem for the Chiefs. He only had two tackles, but he was a constant presence in Kansas City's backfield.
Ropati Pitoitua seems to have benefited from the change to the 3-4. He's a more natural 3-4 end anyway. He had three total tackles, a tackle for loss and a batted-down pass.
Sammie Hill, the other starter, had a solid day as well. Hill had a couple of tackles, one a tackle for loss and the other a sack.
Karl Klug managed another sack himself for a sizable loss.
Al Woods got some playing time as well and had one tackle, but he didn't stand out.
Overall, the defensive line looks every bit as good as it did in 2013, but you have to wonder how much the Chiefs offensive line contributed to that.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
6 of 9
The linebackers were the best unit against the Chiefs. Despite losing Zach Brown to a shoulder injury in the first series, the group came together and had a great game.
Wesley Woodyard was the game's leading tackler, with five tackles, all solo and one for a loss, and one sack. He was excellent leading the defense and reading Alex Smith. He also did well in pass coverage.
Zaviar Gooden, who replaced the injured Brown, had a solid outing himself with four solo tackles and one tackle for loss.
Derrick Morgan adjusted well to the outside linebacker position, finishing the day with three solo tackles, two deflected passes and a lot of pressures on Smith.
Kam Wimbley didn't make a statistical impact, but he was in Smith's face more than once and was usually near the ball.
The inside linebackers kept Jamaal Charles out of the game, and the outside guys made things difficult for Smith. More than any other unit, they shut down the Chiefs offense.
Grade: A
Defensive Backs
7 of 9
The defensive backfield looked shaky at first but came through with some big plays in the end. Jason McCourty, in particular, had a fantastic game.
McCourty had three tackles, two interceptions and two defended passes, one of which became a Michael Griffin interception.
Bernard Pollard also had a good game. Although he got called for a horse-collar tackle which he shouldn't have been called for, he still managed to get five total tackles.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson started for the first time against the Chiefs, and he didn't distinguish himself. That said, when you don't notice a corner, they're usually doing things right.
Smith was repeatedly forced to scramble simply because the defensive backs had taken away all his receiving options. Things might have played out differently if Dwayne Bowe was in, but without a real threat at receiver, the backs dominated.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 9
Ryan Succop got some revenge against his former team, hitting all four field goals he attempted, with a long of 47.
Punter Brett Kern also had a great day, with an average of over 50 yards per punt.
The return game could have been better, and the Titans narrowly avoided disaster early on when Washington fumbled a kickoff. Coty Sensabaugh managed to get to it before the Chiefs, but it could have entirely changed the game.
Still, a great performance by the kickers has the unit looking pretty good overall.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 9
I came into the game expecting a loss, but the Titans won handily. Obviously, much of the credit is due to the players, but it was a very well-coached game.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt brought out the best in Philip Rivers in San Diego, and he looks like he's going to do the same with Locker. Play-calling was balanced, clock management (where Mike Munchak often struggled) was a nonissue and, most importantly, the Titans won.
Defensive coordinator Ray Horton had a great game as well. The Titans defense was prepared for whatever the Chiefs offense threw at them. Horton made a lot of adjustments through the game, and they all seemed to work very well.
Usually, you'll see at least some growing pains when a team changes defensive schemes, but not so this time.
Grade: A
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