Titans seem to have figured out one solution to an early season problem
NASHVILLE – While the Tennessee Titans came up short of victory against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley continued his stretch of elite play. Ridley recently found his stride with Mason Rudolph in at quarterback. He tied a career-high with 10 receptions agains the Detroit Lions after his connection with […]
NASHVILLE – While the Tennessee Titans came up short of victory against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley continued his stretch of elite play.
Ridley recently found his stride with Mason Rudolph in at quarterback. He tied a career-high with 10 receptions agains the Detroit Lions after his connection with Will Levis had been looking out of sync at the start of the season. But with Levis returning to the lineup this weekend, Ridley didn't miss a beat.
Ridley had five catches, 84 receiving yards, and two touchdowns against the Chargers. It's his first multi-touchdown game in a Titans uniform. The deep connection between Levis and Ridley that was teased in training camp finally amounted to some in-game production.
The Titans have now played three games since DeAndre Hopkins was traded. In those three games, Ridley has been targeted 32 times and made 20 catches for 300 yards and two TDs. That's 100 yards per game. That's the elite production Tennessee is paying for from Ridley.
Earlier in the season, Ridley was frustrated by his lack of involvement in the early stages of games. He might have been on to something. Ever since Hopkins was traded and Tennessee started getting the ball in Ridley's hands early, he has proven that he can be a true number one wide receiver.
Getting it done with Levis at quarterback against the Chargers shows me that it was never an issue of who was throwing Ridley the ball. Maybe it's how he was used within the scheme. Maybe it was as simple as getting early, easy completions his way.
The Titans have involved Ridley in more screens and timing routes over the last month. It would appear to be working. If they've figured out the problem, that's a significant development given the organization's monetary investment in Ridley.
Regardless of who is at quarterback for Tennessee next season, it's vital to surround them with game-changing talent that can make the job of NFL QB easier. Ridley is one of those guys and the more Brian Callahan gets used to having him in the system, the more success Ridley will have.
I'll make a call right now. We are more than halfway through the 2024 regular season and Calvin Ridley has 483 receiving yards. But I think he'll easily reach the 1,000 yard mark by Week 18 if he has a clean bill of health. That's what you pay him to do.
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