One problem offensively that'll doom the Titans in the future if it isn't fixed
If you haven't gotten the gist already, the Tennessee Titans have had an embarrassing start to the season offensively. From head-scratching run calls, to poor calls on second and third down, the Titans have been stuck in the gutter when it comes to competent offensive football. But another issue has developed offensively for the Titans […]
If you haven't gotten the gist already, the Tennessee Titans have had an embarrassing start to the season offensively. From head-scratching run calls, to poor calls on second and third down, the Titans have been stuck in the gutter when it comes to competent offensive football.
But another issue has developed offensively for the Titans and its remained as a thorn in the team's side for three straight games now. It's one that has left many confused, as the problem itself is so jarring, that no one has an answer as to why it has become such an issue.
As to what it is? Well, it's likely you've caught on to the gist after watching this offense scratch and claw for three weeks.
Second half offensive woes
The Titans have developed a concerning ability to flip the switch off on offense in the second half.
This year, the Titans' offense has found most of its success in the first half, where they've scored 44 total points in first halves this season — with most of those coming from today's win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In the second half though, the tale offensively has turned sour more times than not, as the Titans have scored a measly seven total points after halftime intermissions.
This wouldn't be such a concerning trend if the fault of these failures didn't lie within the Titans and their ability to consistently move the football. But that's where the problem comes into play, as the Titans have blatantly shown a potential obvious reason as to why this issue is plaguing this offense in the first place.
"We kind of got behind the chains a little bit," Mike Vrabel said in response to a question pertaining to the Titans' disappointing offensive showing in the second half. "We weren't able to make productive plays on first down and extend [some] drives."
Based on displays seen by the naked eye, the Titans' offense has generally found more creativeness and explosion in the first half — before today's game, only their first drives of the opening two games — offensively.
Unseen concepts, different wrinkles in the passing game, and unpredictability in the run game have been the main reasons as to why these first "showings" from Todd Downing's offense have been so successful.
"We came out, moved the ball efficiently, scored points early in the game." Ryan Tannehill said after the game.
But once the second half begins — and specifically during the second half against the Raiders — the magic that enveloped the Titans' offense in the first half, somehow disappears into thin air and out of the Titans' grasp.
Predictable first down play calls, poor follow up play calls on first and long situations, and execution littered with impecunious and destitution.
The sudden drop in display has left the Titans plenty vulnerable in the late stages of games. And in part, has given the team a difficult road to traverse in terms of moving towards winning football games.
With the Titans as shorthanded as they are defensively, dropping the ball offensively and putting an injury riddled defense on the field more than they should, is a recipe for disaster.
That same scenario was prevalent today, as the Raiders continually took shots at the Titans' defense, but walked away without a win due to their own problems in the red zone in the second half.
But the Titans aren't always going to be as lucky as they were today.
If the offense can't find ways to stay on the field and put points on the board in the second half, they're going to run out of luck, and the results will show record wise. You're not going to always run into teams that have problems in the red zone like the Raiders did today, or teams that find ways to beat themselves like the New York Giants in Week One.
Sooner or later, the second half problems offensively will have to stop, or you're going to face some hefty obstacles when you face off against better competition.
And those obstacles won't be easy to move, which spells something closer to doom than happiness for a team that's on the wrong side of the coin in terms of an ability to trade blows with the established teams in the conference, let alone the improved state of the AFC South as a whole.
It's unknown if the Titans have roster and staff to climb out of their second half offensive hole. But they'll need to find a solution quick, as other teams won't be so forgiving if the Titans can't discover a remedy in due time.
Featured image via George Walker IV/The Tennesseean
