The Tennessee Titans (4-4) successfully evened out their record against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) on Sunday with a 27-23 win in Nissan Stadium.
This was a back-and-forth game filled with momentum swings, and both teams had moments when they looked as if they could run away with the victory.
Here’s a look at what went right, what when wrong and what the Titans never should have allowed to happen.
The Good.
• Tight end Jonnu Smith had another strong performance filling in for an injured Delanie Walker. Smith led all Titans receivers with six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
• Quarterback Ryan Tannehill had another solid performance, tossing three touchdowns and posting a quarterback rating of 109.8.
• The Titans secondary did a phenomenal job, constantly forcing Buccaneers’ receivers to catch contested passes — and came away with two interceptions.
• Cornerback Logan Ryan continues to be one of the Titans’ most valuable players. Ryan had a late game-sealing interception to go along with eight tackles and a sack.
• Jeffery Simmons made an early impact, stuffing a goal-line run in the backfield and forcing the Buccaneers to kick a field goal.
The Bad.
• The offensive line had another poor performance, allowing Tannehill to be sacked three times.
• The pass rush was inconsistent. Winston was sacked three times, though he threw from a clean pocket for a large portion of the game.
• Running back Derrick Henry had a fumble – only the second of his career – that led to a Buccaneers touchdown. There was no contact on the ball on this particular play.
The Ugly.
• Missed opportunities were big in the matchup. Cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan each had interceptions, but failed to capitalize on others earlier in the game.
• Butler could have scored a touchdown on his interception, but went down inside the five-yard line.
