Titans learn a hard lesson in loss to Eagles
There are a lot of takeaways one could have from the Tennessee Titans' (7-5) embarrassing 35-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (11-1) on Sunday. Abysmal offensive line play continued, the pass rush remained MIA, A.J. Brown dominated Tennessee's secondary, and overall, the Titans got overpowered and outplayed in all three phases of the game. Play […]
There are a lot of takeaways one could have from the Tennessee Titans' (7-5) embarrassing 35-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (11-1) on Sunday.
Abysmal offensive line play continued, the pass rush remained MIA, A.J. Brown dominated Tennessee's secondary, and overall, the Titans got overpowered and outplayed in all three phases of the game. Play calling, physicality, execution. You name it, and it was an issue on Sunday.
But more than anything, the takeaway from Sunday's loss should be the very valuable and very hard lesson the Titans are learning: Their one-dimensional identity does not work.
Team Philosophy
For the longest time, Tennessee has placed their offensive identity in their rushing attack and running back Derrick Henry. Mike Vrabel and this coaching staff have emphasized the importance of setting the tone on the ground, controlling the clock, and wearing out the opposing team.
It's a big reason why Tennessee undervalues the wide receiver position and was so hesitant to pay Brown the contract extension he asked for last offseason. It's a big reason why they didn't make any moves for a pass catcher at the NFL trade deadline this season despite an obvious need.
Even with the offense struggling through most of 2022, when you ask Vrabel or Todd Downing why they continue to be "predictable" on offense, the answer usually ties back into Tennessee's identity and "how they need to win football games."
The roster Vrabel has been given by Jon Robinson and Amy Adams Strunk requires Tennessee to play a style of football that is out of touch with today's NFL. They ride the unique and special talent of Henry and trust their defense to keep them in games.
There's just one problem with that. Once it's taken away…What else do you have?
Former NFL tight end and current broadcaster Greg Olsen said it best. Olsen dropped this truth bomb on the Titans as the final minutes ticked off the clock in Philadelphia.
“You don’t just want to say ‘this is our identity,’ because that can be taken away. That can be stopped," Olsen said. "You want to be good at many things and win in different ways.”
The 2022 Titans are not good at many things. The 2022 Titans do not win games in different ways. When they win, it's because they run with success and prevent explosive plays on defense. The second a game gets away from an "ideal" Titans situation, the wheels usually fall off. That's evident on pretty much every 3rd and long for this offense.
Run game might be the Titans identity, but they're beginning to learn that you have to do other things. You need playmakers down the field who can bail you out and an offensive line that can allow for routes to develop. When opposing defenses sell out to stop the run, you need to have an answer.
You need more than three wide receivers available to you during the game!
This is an adapt or die league. And while the Tennessee Titans are able to stay afloat in the AFC South in their current form, they will never be legitimate contenders in the AFC unless they adapt to what the NFL is today.
One dimensional, stubborn, conservative teams don't win championships. It doesn't matter how talented your running back is.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
