Bills vs. Titans: Grades, Notes and Quotes
Another late collapse left the Tennessee Titans on the losing end to the Buffalo Bills, despite controlling three-plus quarters of the game.
Three or four missed plays on defense ended up being the difference between a gritty win and another demoralizing loss.
It's tough to swallow this loss, since the Titans dominated possession of the ball for so much of the game.
Marcus Mariota's stat line was to be expected against a stingy Bills defense. His late interception was the product of a poor play call, and very little time to throw the ball.
On the other hand, the defense's valiant effort was tainted by the Bills' final two drives to gain control of the momentum.
The Bills didn't even get a first down until well into the second quarter.
The Titans now sit at 1-3, with this season eerily unfolding much like last season did. There is still time to turn it around in a bad AFC South, but the must-win games start from here on out.
Position Grades for Titans
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | B |
| WR | C |
| TE | C- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | A |
| LB | C+ |
| DB | D |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | C- |
A handful of defensive collapses have played a major role in the Titans' three losses. The one that will stick out in everyone's mind in this particular game was the 20-plus yard scramble that Tyrod Taylor made deep in his own territory. It completely shifted momentum, instead of putting the Titans in the driver's seat to close out the game.
You can't help but question why there weren't a couple spies left on the field to at least slow Taylor down. The probability of Taylor converting that long third down with his arm was low at that point, but the Titans still elected to drop everyone back into coverage.
The secondary missed tackles on Taylor numerous times in this game. Both Perish Cox and Coty Sensabaugh were to blame for these missed tackles.
Sensabaugh also got beat on the long completion on the Bills' go-ahead scoring drive to set up the winning touchdown.
It was a bad effort overall by the secondary, despite Jason McCourty returning from injury. The Bills were very limited on offense due to their own injuries, but the Titans were unable to stop their other players who filled in.
The star unit of the game has to be the defensive line, led by Jurrell Casey's sacks and quarterback pressure. Derrick Morgan also got consistent pressure in the backfield the entire game.
Marcus Mariota managed the game effectively, but did miss a handful of throws. The late interception that sealed the game was thrown into triple coverage. Again, the play call can certainly be questioned, as the Titans still had plenty of time to go down the field for a field goal.
A low-percentage deep throw on first down didn't make a lot of sense.
We saw Mariota run the ball more than we had in the three previous games combined, and he had considerable success, as he finished with 47 rushing yards to lead the team.
There was never any rhythm establish with the rest of the running game. The Titans continued to use their committee of running backs, with the carries virtually spread evenly among Dexter McCluster, Bishop Sankey and Antonio Andrews.
Andrews was a valuable weapon as a receiver. He had three catches for 45 yards.
Zach Brown Benched for Wesley Woodyard
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It was surprising to see Zach Brown lose his starting job to Wesley Woodyard. He still saw plenty of playing time, but something else is going on behind closed doors.
Brown had a controversial tweet about moving on following the Colts loss:
"Ready to move on... @Akeem_Ayers bro hit me
— Zach Brown (@ZachBrown_55) September 29, 2015"
Who really knows what he actually meant by that, but getting benched the very next game doesn't bode well for his future in a Titans uniform.
Ken Whisenhunt explained his decision to start Woodyard over Brown, via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:
"Whiz on Brown demotion: "We’re just trying to put guys in the best position to be successful, clean some things up with our team..."
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 11, 2015"
Expect more light to be shed on this situation moving forward.
Brown also suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury late in the game.
Tyrod Taylor's 24-Yard Scramble a Huge Turning Point
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The Titans have given up chunk plays all season long—this has been the ultimate undoing in each of their three losses. On this particular occasion, the Titans gave up an inexplicable quarterback scramble to Tyrod Taylor on a 3rd-and-23 deep in Bills territory.
If the Titans contain Taylor on this play, then they get the ball back with a 10-point lead late in the game. They would've been in great position to run the clock down and force a limited Bills offense to go into hurry-up mode.
Ken Whisenhunt talked about this defensive collapse after the game, via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:
"Ken Whisenhunt: We had a stunt, he got too far up field on third-and-24 scramble by Tyrod... http://t.co/0Wom1H4ql7 pic.twitter.com/4kr62UddpV
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 11, 2015"
Jurrell Casey, who actually had a very good game, took the blame for the missed assignment, per John Glennon of the Tennessean:
"Casey says he was in middle on rush and got out of his lane on big Taylor scramble.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) October 11, 2015"
It can be debated whether this was bad coaching or just poor execution. A combination of both would be fair to say, but as always, it ultimately falls on the head coach.
This play changed everything. It gave the Bills just the spark they needed to put themselves in position to win.
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Titans Decline to Go for It on 4th-Down Plays
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The Titans elected to take the ultraconservative approach for much of the game on offense. This worked insofar they controlled the ball for the majority of the game and kept an aggressive Bills defense tired.
However, the Titans failed to take advantage of that fatigue in the first half. Tennessee decided to punt on two different 4th-and-2 plays in Bills territory. This strategy worked in that it kept field position tilted in the Titans' favor early in the game.
You still have to wonder how this one would've turned out if Tennessee had been a little more aggressive on one of those fourth-down plays.
Another short fourth-down attempt ended in a 21-yard field goal. The Titans expressed their desire to run the ball and be a smashmouth team when they went for the two-point conversion against the Colts. They declined to use that same aggression in this scenario, allowing the Bills to grab a one-point lead for the win.
The Titans also elected to punt on a 4th-and-11 and show faith in their defense when they were trailing late in the fourth quarter. This ended up being the right decision, as the defense came through to get the ball back to the offense for one last effort.
Marcus Mariota on the Loss
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Mariota faced another tough defense in the Bills and had to be more of a game manager than a player who throws it all over the field.
He was moderately successful at managing the game, as he was able to get the ball out of his hands quickly to beat the Bills pass rush.
Mariota talked about the one-point loss that put Tennessee's losing streak at three games, via the Titans' official twitter:
"#Titans QB Marcus Mariota: “It’s tough. Again, you have to dust yourself off. It’s one game. It doesn’t define our season."
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 11, 2015"
The poise and resiliency of Mariota will continue to be tested as this season progresses. He's passed the test so far, but he's not the first rookie quarterback to face turmoil in his first season. There is still time for this team to flip the script and make a push in the weak AFC South.
With a struggling Dolphins team up next on the schedule, Mariota and the Titans really need to put together a comfortable victory to help lay to rest these three rough losses.
Kendall Wright on the Final Play
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The play that essentially put the nail in the coffin for the Titans was the deep throw from Marcus Mariota to Kendall Wright, which ended in an interception.
Wright commented on this play, via John Glennon of the Tennessean:
"Wright, asked if he was primary option on Mariota int: "I don't know. I can't remember the last time I was the primary option on anything."
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) October 11, 2015"
This was a puzzling play call with ample time to make a final drive for the game-winning field goal. The Titans had around 35 yards to gain to get Ryan Succop into field-goal range. Tennessee decided to go for all of that on a low-percentage pass play up the sideline.
Both Wright and Justin Hunter were in the vicinity of the pass, but Wright made the play on the ball. He made a strong effort to make the catch. But he also took a big hit, and the ball was intercepted.
The frustration in the locker room will continue to build until this team learns to win close games.
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