Offense has deserted the Titans
So much went wrong for the Tennessee Titans last week against Baltimore that maybe the ordeal of going across the Atlantic Ocean for this Sunday’s game with the Chargers is almost a blessing.
At least it will keep people from dwelling on Sunday’s fiasco, which has to be corrected in order for the Titans to have a chance to right the ship in London against the Los Angeles Chargers.
For one thing, the Titans’ offense, which has not scored a touchdown the past two games.
The Ravens drove the point home last Sunday as to just how lacking the Titans offense has been of late. They sacked Mariota 11 times in the loss and held the Titans to a paltry 106 yards of offense.
The Titans, bewildered and confused on Sunday, also converted just 1-of-10 third-down tries.
It was a miserable day for quarterback Marcus Mariota, who absorbed that 11-sack beating courtesy of the Ravens defense and its blitzes, but also passed for just 117 yards in the game.
“Yes, for sure. I think the blueprint is out there. I think it’s about how we are going to be able to manage that and correct so that lack of execution doesn’t happen again,” Mariota said.
Mariota said that one key to fixing what ails the Titans is doing a better job on first and second downs in order to keep third downs manageable. Last week, the Titans averaged more than 10 yards per third-down distance, meaning they were actually behind the chains on average for their third-down plays.
“It starts on first and second down. We can be efficient and create third and manageable, we’re not getting into all these exotic pressures. I think that will help,” Mariota said.
Another thing that will help is better play from an offensive line that neither run blocked nor pass protected very well last Sunday. On Wednesday, most of the offensive line seemed to be in no mood to discuss the performance from last week.
But the wide receivers seem ready to try and atone for last week’s debacle.
“That’s not Tennessee Titans football, and that’s not how we do things. We know the type of offense we have and the type of guys we have on the offensive side of the ball. We’re very confident in what we can do It’s just about doing it on a consistent basis,” receiver Tajae Sharpe said. “It’s a new week, so we have to put last week behind us. We need to stay focused on the Chargers. We’ve got some good things in. We just have to prepare for this week and go out there Sunday and execute. We’ve just got to trust and believe in what we’ve been doing since Day 1 and then go out there and execute to the best of our ability. Everybody needs to be detailed and be where they need to be and focused on their job first. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
SERIES HISTORY: 42nd regular-season meeting. Chargers lead series, 26-14-1. The Chargers have long been a thorn in the Titans’ side over the years, having once lost nine in a row to the Bolts from 1993-2012. The Titans did manage to win the last time these teams met in 2016 at Nissan Stadium.
