Titans find one silver lining in loss to Giants
Despite opening their season with a 21-20 loss to the New York Giants at home, the Tennessee Titans can find at least one important silver lining from Sunday's game. Amidst all the drama and an underwhelming second half performance, the Titans got strong games from two of the most important young players on the roster: […]
Despite opening their season with a 21-20 loss to the New York Giants at home, the Tennessee Titans can find at least one important silver lining from Sunday's game.
Amidst all the drama and an underwhelming second half performance, the Titans got strong games from two of the most important young players on the roster:
Rookie wide receivers Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips.
The rookie receivers were the two most targeted players by Ryan Tannehill on Sunday. Burks was targeted five times, while Philips led the team at nine, and the two combined for nine receptions and 121 receiving yards.
While most expected newly acquired WR Robert Woods or TE Austin Hooper (who had one catch each) to be the focal point of the Titans passing game, it was clear to those watching that Ryan Tannehill has confidence in his young weapons to make a play.
That was still the case with the game on the line, when Tannehill trusted Philips down field, and connected on a 21-yard strike to set up the final field goal attempt by Randy Bullock:
As for Burks, the 2022 first round pick did exactly what was asked of him in his NFL debut. He got open, made plays after the catch, and blocked willingly and successfully:
Here's what Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and QB Ryan Tannehill had to say about the performance of Burks and Philips after watching the tape from the game:
"Our young guys played good, man," Vrabel told the media Monday. "We had some rookies that started, and thats the most production that we've had from young guys. Treylon caught the ball well, he blocked, and now we gotta try to see if he can make someone miss in the open field instead of run them over."
"Kyle has made a bunch of plays for me this training camp and shown that he can win consistently in practice," Tannehill said of Philips after the game. "That translates over to the game."
Game result aside, two rookie wide receivers playing well while having such a big role in the Titans offense in their first career game is a really encouraging sign.
The weapons surrounding Ryan Tannehill has been a question mark all summer, and seeing the Titans be affective in working the ball to his new targets should alleviate some of that worry.
The loss was bad, and the sting from it is going to linger, but Titans fans can take comfort in knowing that the Titans have two dangerous playmakers that will be around for a long time.
The best part is, continual growth can be expected as the rest of the season unfolds.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
