NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans (6-3) passing game had been in a steady rate of decay coming into Sunday's home contest against the Denver Broncos (3-6). Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's return gave his offense the sign of life it had been looking for.

If nothing else, Tennessee showed it does have something to build on.

Tannehill stepped up in a big spot for the Titans. After missing the last two games with a right ankle injury, the veteran felt he had an opportunity to start against the Broncos as the practice week progressed. Tannehill's first half of football back in the line-up was an absolute slog.

As the afternoon wore on, Tennessee's quarterback delivered in a few critical spots.

Titans passing game won the day

I'm not sure I've ever written that phrase before.

Tannehill completed 19 of his 36 passing attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the game. The Titans could get nothing going for most of the first two quarters, however. Tennessee started the game with six straight drives that ended with punts before orchestrating a touchdown drive at the Two Minute Warning.

"Ryan (Tannehill) was decisive," coach Mike Vrabel said of his team's first scoring effort. "We protected him. We got into a good flow. It started with Treylon (Burks) with a little catch-and-run where he just piled through there and was able to get the first down. He put his pads down. We had a penalty-free drive offensively. There are certainly some things that – just referencing calls. We lined up in the neutral zone however many times, jumped offsides. Those are things that we're not coaching, we're not encouraging. Those are things that, going against the elite teams in this league, will probably get you beat."

Tannehill has been under duress all season, but was kept largely clean on that drive and showed what they could accomplish with baseline pass protection competency.

It allowed the Titans pass-catching group a few more opportunities to just try and make a play.

Tannehill's toughness on display

The quarterback's efforts were embodied on an 11-yard run en route to points to end the half.

"I definitely had not tested that, and it didn't feel too good," said Tannehill. "It was a necessity there, the pocket got muddy. Things were not clean downfield, and I was able to squirt out of there."

Running back Derrick Henry was largely held in check by a Denver team that had been susceptible to giving up yards on the ground to that point in the season. Tennessee's passing game delivered, while the defense continued their season-long greatness with another unbelievable effort despite being without eight starters at one point in the game.

But the question of whether the Titans air attack is capable of operating independently of Henry was answered on Sunday. The challenge now becomes a matter or sustained consistency.

Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.