The Tennessee Titans (1-2) took the field in Jacksonville on Thursday looking for redemption after a 19-17 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Instead, they fell a second time against the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2), losing 20-17 at TIAA Bank Field.
While it was a difficult night for the team collectively, there were some bright spots — and some glaring errors made by certain players.
Here are some studs and duds from the contest.
Stud: LB Jayon Brown
Brown was a leader on defense Thursday evening, recording six tackles and four assists. It ultimately wasn’t enough to hold Minshew and the Jaguars back, though, and the Titans offense wasn’t able to take advantage of the stops Brown and the defense were able to get.
Dud: QB Marcus Mariota
Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew was nearly perfect on a night Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota looked inaccurate and unsteady in the pocket.
In a performance filled with misfires and bad decision-making, Mariota finished 23-of-40 passes for 304 yards. The Oregon state product doesn’t look anything like the player he used to, and there’s doubt – with reason – that he may never again.
Stud: P Brett Kern
If there’s any player on the Titans roster that can practically always be relied on, it’s Brett Kern.
The Pro Bowl punter ended the game with eight punts for 372 yards, four of which were pinned inside the 20.
Dud: Offensive line
This loss can’t be entirely pinned on this unit, but they’ve been a major culprit so far this season. The offensive line allowed nine sacks on Mariota, and allowed a total of eight over the first two weeks of the regular season.
With 17 sacks allowed on Mariota over such a short time span, Tennessee is on track to top the 47 sacks it allowed on quarterbacks in 2018.
Stud: TE Delanie Walker
Walker is one of the only players on roster who has remained consistent through his time in Tennessee. The tight end continued to be a reliable target even though it was rough going for the offensive as a whole.
Walker recorded seven receptions for 64 yards.
Dud: CB Adoree’ Jackson
If the Titans coaching staff hadn’t had a notion that sending Jackson out to field punts was a bad idea, they have to have learned their lesson Thursday night.
Jackson’s muffed punt at the beginning of the game allowed the Jaguars to score immediately when their offense took the field again, giving Jacksonville instant momentum that was never lost.
