Tennessee Titans: Win Over Saints More About What Didn't Happen Than What Did
The biggest takeaway from the Tennessee Titans’ 23-21 win over the Saints on Sunday is based more so on what didn’t happen in the game than what did happen. That’s not to say that Tennessee shouldn’t get an abundance of credit for their win, because they should. The Titans, though the final score might indicate […]
The biggest takeaway from the Tennessee Titans’ 23-21 win over the Saints on Sunday is based more so on what didn’t happen in the game than what did happen.
That’s not to say that Tennessee shouldn’t get an abundance of credit for their win, because they should. The Titans, though the final score might indicate otherwise, really controlled the game from start to finish. That’s what did happen.
What didn’t happen, though, was a massive letdown, something the Titans have been prone to do under Vrabel against underwhelming teams with poor quarterbacks.
The Titans entered the game against New Orleans as favorites. They were on a five-game win streak, and the Saints were without three of their most important players: RB Alvin Kamara, LT Terron Armstead and QB Jameis Winston, who’s done for the year because of an ACL tear.
In the past, however, those have been the exact type of situations that lead to disappointments from Vrabel’s Titans, especially when the Titans have been successful as they have, lately.
Want an example? Look no further than the Titans’ disastrous Week Four loss to the Jets. Want more? Take a gander back to the team’s blowout loss to the Cardinals in Week One. Still not convinced? Go back to the Titans’ loss to Cleveland in December 2020, when QB Ryan Tannehill and company scored just seven points in the first half to the Browns’ 38.
What very easily could have been another installment in that list, with the Titans riding the high of their Sunday Night Football win over the Rams and the Saints starting Trevor Siemian at quarterback, ended up as yet another game that ended in the Titans’ favor.
Based on this game, as well as the Titans’ general performance throughout 2021, it appears that the team, along with its head coach, has matured.
The days of lifting Titans fans up to the sky before brutally throwing them back down to the ground appear to, at least for now, be over.
Cover image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean
