What the Tennessee Titans actually must repeat from embarrassing loss to Lions
NASHVILLE – There was very little to celebrate from the Tennessee Titans' 52-14 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8. But if anything from the game was worth repeating, it was the breakout performance of wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million contract to join the Titans as a free agent […]
NASHVILLE – There was very little to celebrate from the Tennessee Titans' 52-14 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8. But if anything from the game was worth repeating, it was the breakout performance of wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million contract to join the Titans as a free agent this past offseason. Tennessee paid Ridley like a bona fide WR1 to help develop second-year quarterback Will Levis, but the early returns were incredibly underwhelming.
In three of the Titans' first six games, Ridley had one or zero catches. There was a clear disconnect between Ridley and Levis and emotions boiled over. But everything turned around for Ridley against the Lions.
With Mason Rudolph in at quarterback, Ridley hauled in 10 passes for 143 receiving yards in Detroit. That tied Ridley's career-high for catches in a game and was the third-highest yard total of his career.
Ridley was playing free, creating seperation, and looked like the $92 million man that Tennessee paid him to be. That's a great sign for what Ridley can be for the Titans moving froward because newsflash….he's not going anywhere. A trade is just not a realistic expectation given his current contract, so it's paramount for the future of the Titans that he lives up to his salary.
Whether the 2025 QB is Levis, a draft pick like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, or even a veteran free agent quarterback to bridge the gap, the Calvin Ridley we saw in Detroit is going to make life easier for them.
Ridley's explosive day is also a testament to Brian Callahan's ability to scheme Ridley open. "[I'm] finding more ways to use him. More different ways we can use move him in the formation and routes we can put him on," said Callahan in Wednesday's press conference. "We knew we were going to see a heavy dose of man coverage against Detroit. We felt like we could manufacture a matchup or two."
In addition to the solid game plan from Callahan, Ridley has been putting extra work to get his game back up to the standards he has for himself. Last week, Ridley was out on the Titans' practice field early in the morning getting extra reps in on the JUGS machine. When Callahan noticed what Ridley was doing, he took a video and showed it to the team.
Everything is pointing to Ridley trending in the right direction and this production being more sustainable for him in the future. All he needs is a quarterback who is able to deliver the ball to him on time. But this was the taste of Ridley's dominance that Titans fans needed.
Whatever Tennessee did with Ridley against Detroit, they need to repeat it against the Patriots in Week 9.
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