The Tennessee Titans squeezed out a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7, and most of the credit goes to Ryan Tannehill for the team’s third victory of the season.
Last week, the Tennessee Titans finally had enough of former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, benching the one-time franchise quarterback for another former first-round bust in Ryan Tannehill. Though the substitution couldn’t rescue the Titans from a 16-0 Week 6 defeat to the Denver Broncos, Tannehill gave the Titans a huge lift in Week 7.
The Titans are now 3-4 after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, as Tannehill helped the team pull off a 23-20 win after a wild fourth quarter.
Tannehill looked accurate, poised, and most importantly, able to challenge the Chargers defense down the field. He completed 23 of 29 passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for an impressive average of 10.8 yards per pass attempt.
This was the best possible performance the Titans could have reasonably hoped for from Tannehill, who now has more wins in one start at quarterback than his former team, the Miami Dolphins, have all season.
What made Tannehill so successful was his willingness to spread the ball among a variety of targets. Former top-five pick Corey Davis benefited the most, leading the way with six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Davis has found it hard to show off his ability in the Titans offense since being drafted out of Western Michigan, but perhaps this could be the start of a strong run of performances from the No. 1 receiver.
Tannehill gave the Titans a chance to win the game by adding a more threatening layer to the passing attack, as he averaged 13.5 yards per reception. Jonnu Smith turned three catches into 64 yards, and Tannehill ended up throwing a few passes for over 25 yards. Under Mariota, that type of vertical passing was hard to come by, especially more recently in his career; he seems to be a different quarterback than he was as a promising second-year pro.
Going forward, Tannehill has locked down the starting job, and only a string of poor performances could threaten his standing. Although Tannehill isn’t the answer and won’t be the Titans’ long-term starter, he looks like their best option this season and showed enough arm talent to give his team a chance.
The Titans will face tougher defenses and opponents than the (now) 2-5 Chargers, but this was an encouraging and excellent display from Tannehill, whose accuracy and ability to put his receivers in a position to make big plays were welcome sight. Tennessee aren’t playoff contenders in the AFC South by any means, but they could have a chance to be spoilers in 2019 if their new starting quarterback can keep this up.