NASHVILLE – The Titans lost 23-10 to the Jets in the season opener on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things that stood out from the contest:
Sputtering Offense
The Titans didn't have much success on offense, managing just 195 yards and 11 first downs. Before the 65-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes, the numbers really looked bad. Quarterback Cam Ward completed 19-of-32 passes in the contest, for 140 yards. Ward was under pressure on many of his drop backs, and had to throw the ball away to avoid being sacked. Ward also missed on some easy throws. The Titans were just 4-of-12 on third down on a day when the team had to abandon the run because of the deficit. Ward, and I think everyone else, expected better. "I am very disappointed," Ward said after the game. "We are better than what we showed offensively. We trained a lot this offseason, we had some hard days. It didn't pay off for us today, but it is going to pay off for us eventually, whether it is next week or the week after."
Incomplete Pass/Fumble Call
The Titans appeared to make a big play early when linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. punched the ball out of the arms of Jets tight end Mason Taylor on what looked like a fumble. The turnover would have given the Titans the ball deep in New York territory, and with some juice, trailing just 7-3 early. But officials, who initially ruled a Geno Smith pass to Taylor an incompletion instead of a catch/fumble, failed to overturn the call after a challenge by Titans head coach Robert Saleh. It wiped away what would have been a big momentum play. "They said it was a centimeter from his third foot getting down," Saleh said of the explanation he got from officials. "We felt like his third foot had hit the ground simultaneously when the ball hit. It was worth the challenge. It was so close. We were off by a little." Said Hill: "You could think whatever you want. But the only thing that matters is what the ref thinks."
Anthony Hill Jr.'s Debut
Anthony Hill Jr. showed up again and again and again in his NFL debut on Sunday. The team's rookie linebacker, a second-round pick out of the University of Texas, was credited with 16 tackles in the contest, along with two passes defensed and again, what was arguably a forced fumble call that was missed. Hill ran Jets quarterback Geno Smith out of bounds short of the yard to gain on a third down play, and he was all over the field while starting in place of Cedric Gray, who was among the team's inactives. Hill became the first NFL rookie with 16 tackles and two passes defensed in a game since at least 2000. "At the end of the day, you just want to get the win," Hill said. "No matter how good of a day you think you had, if you lose, it's like 'who really cares?' It doesn't really matter."
Defense Failed to Get Stops
The Jets had way too much success against the Titans, with Smith throwing for 215 yards and Breece Hall running for 102, part of a 152-yard rushing effort for the Jets. The Jets scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the game, and on another long touchdown scoring drive early in the third quarter to build a two-touchdown lead. The Titans deserve credit for forcing the Jets to kick four field goals, and they stood firm to bail out Chimere Dike after he fumbled a kickoff. The Jets got zero points off that turnover. But on this day, the defense didn't record a sack, and it didn't make any game-changing plays as the Jets racked up 367 yards of total offense, and 19 first downs.
Special Teams Miscues
Let's be honest: It wasn't a great day across the board for the Titans. While Joey Slye made his only field goal attempt, his opening kickoff sailed out of bounds. The usually reliable Dike lost a fumble, after earlier taking a big hit when one of his blockers was pushed into him, causing a big collision that resulted in him being evaluated for a concussion. Punter Tommy Townsend mis-hit a few punts on a day when his net average was just 33.9, also in part because the Titans failed to down a few balls near the end zone when they had opportunities. "I think that it starts with me, right?," Dike said of the day on special teams. "I (can't) put the ball on the ground. We didn't perform in all three phases the way that we wanted to, but at the same time we have a lot of season left and we are going to get back to work on Monday and get better."
Ominous Start to the Farewell Season
There were reminders everywhere about the Farewell Season at Nissan Stadium, from signage around the stadium to memorabilia in the press box. Just as I've done at the start of just about every season, I made my way to the top of the upper deck on the east side of Nissan Stadium before Sunday's game, and took a picture of the field, and the Nashville skyline behind the west stands. It's always been a beautiful sight, and it's still hard to believe how much the city's skyline has changed over the years, since the stadium opened up in 1999. I thought the buzz in the stadium was great at the start of Sunday's game, and the Titans fans who showed up in the blazing hot temperatures were troopers. But I saw a lot of them look pretty disgusted as they filed out below me in the closing minutes on Sunday, and I couldn't help but think these fans deserve better than what they've had to endure the past few years. One game doesn't make a season, and I don't think this year's team is as bad as it looked against the Jets. I still think this will be an improved team from a year ago. But these Titans need to get some things figured out if they want to make the final season in Nissan Stadium one to remember, because yesterday's game was one to forget. "It's always disappointing to lose the first one, especially at home in front of our fans," defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons acknowledged. "Fans had a lot of great energy coming out. We've got a long season, there's a long season ahead of us. This is not the end of our season, so I hope all fans can stick with us."
