There were plenty of question marks surrounding just how well quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s first game as the Tennessee Titans’ starter would go — and just how much better he would be than Marcus Mariota.
While there were some plays Tannehill would probably like to have back, he had a solid outing.
The former Miami Dolphins signal-caller was 23-of-29 passing for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception on the 23-20 win.
His 312 passing yards were more than any Titans quarterback had in a game this season, and more than Mariota has posted in the past two games combined.
Tannehill’s lone interception wasn’t entirely his fault, as tight end Jonnu Smith got matched up one-on-one with a Chargers defender and edge rusher Joey Bosa hit Tannehill’s arm as he threw.
What made Tannehill stand out most had nothing to do with the stats sheet, though.
His decision-making was nearly perfect and the timing of his throws was spot-on. Mariota had particularly been struggling with decisiveness and delivering passes even to wide-open receivers, something an accurate Tannehill had no issue with on Sunday.
Tannehill also distributed the ball well, delivering to eight different offensive targets.
Despite being under duress for a good portion of the game, he was able to step up and complete passes into tight windows.
Here’s a look at one of Tannehill’s most impressive passes of the day, a strike to wideout Corey Davis between two Chargers defenders.
Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown commended Tannehill’s leadership abilities as well.
“Ryan, he was leading in the huddle – he had a lot of confidence,” he told reporters. “After every play, he was saying something positive, trying to keep us going no matter what.
The Titans will look for continued consistency from Tannehill and an offense that seems to have found life again as they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Nissan Stadium on Sunday.
