Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints: Titans Grades, Notes & Quotes
There is indeed still life in the Tennessee Titans, as they defeated the New Orleans Saints in overtime to snap their six-game losing streak.
Interim head coach Mike Mularkey said he was going to bring physicality to this team, and he certainly showed it by securing the 34-28 victory.
Entering the unknown is always tough when you're 1-6, but the Titans found a way to grind out an improbable win after trailing by 11 points in the second quarter.
The return of Marcus Mariota also deserves a ton of credit as to why this team looked completely different from last week's embarrassing loss to the Houston Texans.
Believe it or not, the Titans are right back in the thick of things in the muddled AFC South. It's crazy how much winning can instantly change the mood.
Position Grades for Titans
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | B+ |
| WR | B+ |
| TE | A+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | B |
| LB | A |
| DB | C+ |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | B+ |
This team is definitely united after watching the scene in the locker room after the game, via the Titans' official Twitter page:
"Family. #TitanUp pic.twitter.com/RhMvZNA2u7
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2015"
You have to start with the coaching of Mularkey and offensive coordinator Jason Michael. Both guys were making their debuts in their respective positions, and both kept the Titans' offensive strategy unpredictable. They mixed the pass and run but eventually leaned on Mariota's arm after he got comfortable.
It was no coincidence that the tight end position broke out in Mularkey's debut as head coach. He was promoted from being coach of the tight ends and got them very involved in the offensive strategy.
Delanie Walker was the beneficiary of a few lucky bounces, but he still had a stellar performance with two touchdowns on 95 yards receiving.
Craig Stevens and Phillip Supernaw played integral roles in aiding the offensive line in blocking, and Anthony Fasano caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Virtually a perfect day from this unit.
There was some rust from Mariota in his first couple of drives, but he shook that off quickly as the game progressed. His final stat line was outstanding, albeit against a bad Saints defense. He spread the ball among eight different receivers, making it very difficult for the Saints to know what to expect.
Mariota once again played well beyond his limited NFL experience and managed the game like a true veteran when crunch time came. He handled the game-winning drive like he had been doing this for a decade.
We knew the defense was up for maybe their stiffest challenge of the year, and they faced a ton of adversity in this game.
A questionable roughing-the-passer call got Brian Orakpo fired up with officials. It eventually led to a Saints touchdown, but his passion seemed to ironically swing momentum back to the Titans.
It was a solid all-around performance from the linebackers as they never let Mark Ingram get into a groove. He was held to just 2.5 yards per carry. That forced Drew Brees to carry the team on his back, and he nearly did.
Finally, you have to give major credit to the special teams. They were solid in kick coverage, and Coty Sensabaugh partially blocked the potential game-winning field goal.
A 55-yard attempt by Ryan Succop came inches short of putting the Titans ahead in regulation.
Titans Give Up Zero Sacks, Sack Brees Four Times
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Even against one of the NFL's worst defenses, it would have been hard to predict that the Titans would give up zero sacks after giving up seven the previous week.
The offensive game plan of leaning heavily on Antonio Andrews was an effective strategy early on. It forced the Saints to respect the run and opened up more passing lanes for Mariota.
Mariota finished with a 71 percent completion percentage, and he never really faced too much pressure. It proved that when you protect Mariota, he can be lethal.
The Saints managed just two quarterback hits on Mariota.
More kudos is owed to Mularkey for shifting some things around on the offensive line. He moved two starters around on the offensive line, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com:
"Byron Bell starting at RT today for @Titans in place of Poutasi. Joe Looney starting at LG
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 8, 2015"
It's just one week, but these changes maximized his quarterback's chances of making the necessary throws to keep up with the Saints on the scoreboard.
They also continued to be relentless at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Brees had constant pressure in his face, although he still managed to make some jaw-dropping completions. The Titans did what they had to do to make things as difficult as possible for Brees, especially late in the game.
Orakpo had maybe his biggest game in a Titans uniform, with two sacks.
Depleted Secondary Bends, but Doesn't Break
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The No. 1 concern heading into this game was how a beat-up Titans secondary would be able to contend with a high-powered Saints passing attack.
Both Jason McCourty and Blidi Wreh-Wilson were unable to go due to injuries.
In the early going, it looked like they would be no match. Brees marched the Saints up the field for two long scoring drives to put them up 21-10. It seemed like there would be no way the Titans would be able to match that pace.
However, the secondary clamped down to make things more difficult for Brees. He still got his yardage, but they toughened up as the game wore on.
B.W. Webb was signed from the practice squad due to McCourty being out, and he made an interception in the third quarter that kept the game at a one-point margin.
You have to overlook the 389 passing yards that Brees still managed and realize that this was a valiant effort from an inexperienced unit of Webb, Sensabaugh and Cody Riggs.
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Mariota's Extraordinary Stat Line
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It was a welcome site to see Mariota return to the field after missing two games, and he didn't disappoint.
Mariota attained another rare achievement in NFL history, per Jon Zimmer of the NFL's AFC Football Communications:
". @Titans' Marcus Mariota is 2nd player in @NFL history to pass for 350+ yds, 4+ TDs & 0 INTs with GW TD pass in OT (D Culpepper)
— Jon Zimmer (@NFLhistory) November 8, 2015"
Many rookie quarterbacks would have folded under the pressure that Mariota faced during this game. There were many opportunities to do so, and many excuses that could have been made in his defense.
Tying the game on a two-point conversion may have supplied the most pressure. He fit the ball in a tight window to Delanie Walker, which ultimately allowed this game to go to overtime.
He executed the final play of the game perfectly to find Fasano for the game-winning score.
Who knows how this season will eventually end for the Titans, but they do know that they have their franchise quarterback to build around. That's something they haven't truly had in over a decade, and fans should be grateful.
Mike Mularkey on the Crazy Week
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We had already seen some success under an interim head coach when Dan Campbell brought the Dolphins into Nissan Stadium and manhandled the Titans.
This time the Titans were on the winning end, and they also did it on the road. They played with a new kind of energy that had been mostly absent over the past few weeks.
You know it was an emotional win for Mularkey, and he commented on the game-winning play in overtime, via the Titans' official Twitter page:
"#Titans Coach Mike Mularkey (on game-winning play): "We thought if we got down there inside the 5-yard line it would be a touchdown."
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2015"
That was a drive the Titans had to have. Even though the defense was playing well, it was highly likely that Brees was going to counter with a touchdown drive of his own. It was imperative that the Titans didn't put the ball back in the hands of one of the elite quarterbacks of the last decade.
The best part of the overtime drive was the aggressive play calls that offensive coordinator Jason Michael dialed up. He got Dorial Green-Beckham involved while also not abandoning the run game with Antonio Andrews. The Saints had no clue who was getting the ball, or what the Titans were planning. They became unpredictable, and it benefited them in the end.
Mariota on Fluke TD Pass
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Luck always plays a factor into outcomes of games. The Titans had been on the wrong end of a lot of misfortunes during their six-game skid, but some things bounced their way against the Saints.
Mariota's first touchdown pass to Walker had interception written all over it. It somehow bounced off of the Saints defender and landed in Walker's hands. He subsequently ran it all the way for a 61-yard touchdown. It came on a third down that should've ended in a punt.
This was a critical moment in the game when the Titans were trailing 14-3. Mariota admitted that he was lucky on this throw, per Jason Wolf of the Tennessean:
"Mariota on tipped TD to Walker: "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. ... The stands was the target, to be honest with you." #Titans
— Jason Wolf (@JasonWolf) November 8, 2015"
The game could have spiraled out of control if not for this lucky bounce. When you're 1-6, you need some lucky breaks. The Titans deserve credit for taking advantage of that.
Kendall Wright Fired Up over the Win
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Cornerback wasn't the only position where the Titans were facing depth concerns. They were without Kendall Wright, arguably their biggest offensive weapon for Mariota.
Wright suffered a sprained knee last week against the Texans that forced him to miss this game, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:
"Titans WR Wright (sprained knee) out vs. Saints https://t.co/sJDs2JDRX2 #Titans
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 5, 2015"
Even though Wright couldn't make an impact on the field, he was definitely energized over the emotional win, via his official Twitter page:
"Let's f***ing go that's why we got him with the number 2 pick great team win and now I'm done cheerleading for the day #titanup
— Kendall Wright (@1kendallwright) November 8, 2015"
You always love to see top players talking up their respective teams. That's even more true when a team is going through such difficult times after firing the head coach.
Wright is quietly having a respectable season despite the struggles from the offense. Once Wright is able to return, expect him to develop more positive chemistry with Mariota. It will add another dynamic to this offense that it didn't have against the Saints.
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