The Tennessee Titans (2-3) have still yet to win a home game, falling 14-7 to the visiting Buffalo Bills (4-1) on Sunday afternoon.
The Titans largely beat themselves with penalties and failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities, with quarterback Marcus Mariota and the offense up against a stout Bills defense.
Despite the loss, some players made their impact felt, while the major errors of others contributed directly to the outcome.
Here’s a look at some of the players who rose to the occasion, and some of the names who would like to have a play or two back.
Stud: RB Derrick Henry
Henry accounted for the team’s only score of the day with a one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, and was the most effective player on offense in a game that was practically all defense.
The rusher carried 20 times for 77 yards with the touchdown.
Dud: K Cairo Santos
Santos’ four consecutive missed field goals simply can’t be excused. Not all four were entirely to blame on him, but there were two glaringly bad kicks made by him. Considering the game was won by just seven points, the Titans could have been in a much better position to win if Santos had been efficient.
Stud: P Brett Kern
Count on Kern to be reliable for this team week in and week out. In a game like this one where field position is so key, the punter shined. He averaged 49.7 yards per punt on six attempts, pinning one inside the 20.
Dud: CB Adoree’ Jackson
Jackson wasn’t the most effective, finishing the afternoon with two tackles. But he was also the defender beat on Allen’s touchdown pass to Duke Williams that gave the Bills the 14-7 lead late in the game.
Offensive plays like this one just can’t be allowed to happen in a closely fought game like this.
Stud: S Kevin Byard
Byard single-handedly turned the momentum in the Titans’ favor with an interception off of Bills quarterback Josh Allen that set up Tennessee’s first and only touchdown of the game. Byard also had 5 tackles, but his efforts alone weren’t enough to get the Titans the win.
