NASHVILLE – The Titans rallied for a 34-31 win over the Bills on Monday night at Nissan Stadium.
On Tuesday, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel talked reporters at Saint Thomas Sports Park.
Here's a look at the hot topics from the presser, as the Titans will now turn their attention to the Kansas City Chiefs, who visit Nissan Stadium on Sunday.
-With cornerbacks Kristian Fulton and Caleb Farley now on Injured Reserve, the Titans are even thinner at cornerback. Vrabel mentioned some of the candidates who are on the team's practice squad. "Chris (Jones) has been with us," Vrabel said. "He is certainly someone we will look at. (Briean) Boddy (-Calhoun) has been with us for a while, working and practicing. I am confident if those guys get an opportunity, they will do everything they can to take advantage of it."
-Vrabel confirmed the initial diagnosis on left tackle Taylor Lewan, who was carted off the field on Monday night. "I saw Taylor this morning," Vrabel said. "I would say all signs lead to him being in the concussion protocol. I would say he is doing as well as he could be."
-Vrabel offered some praise for defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, who made a big stop on the 4th and 1 sneak by Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the closing seconds. "I think there are still things we still work with (Jeffery) and show him," Vrabel said. "I think his leadership first and foremost is something that has been great. His effort, he plays a lot of snaps for us, and so his effort for a big man is very good, his physicality. He is fun to coach, he is coachable, takes the coaching. His team means a lot to him, so he is an important piece of who we are."
-Safety Amani Hooker played in 66 of the defense's 77 snaps after coming off IR, and Vrabel thought he performed well. "I thought Amani was prepared, I thought he was active," Vrabel said. "He was playing well before he got hurt, and hopefully we will see him progress through the week without any setbacks after some game action."
-The Titans, who outscored the Bills 10-0 in the fourth quarter on Monday night, have the league's most come-from-behind wins (13) in the fourth quarter or overtime since Vrabel took the reins in 2018. Vrabel credited the players, and their belief in winning. "Just trying to put a group of guys together that care about each other, that don't panic, that understand you are going to play in some tight games in this league and getting the experience of it," Vrabel said. "The type of people that we have and the messages we preach. It is an impressive, interesting stat, but we would like to not be down. We certainly find ways to win and have a lot of faith in our guys to execute."
-After a big win against the Bills, the Chiefs are now on the horizon, followed by games at Indianapolis and the Los Angeles Rams, before the Saints visit Nissan Stadium. "Just looking at really today, our preparation, our meetings," Vrabel said. "We will figure out where we go after this week. We are home against one of the best teams in the NFL, however you want to slice it. It will be a huge challenge for us on a short week to get back and get ready to play an explosive offense and a defense that is going to be geared up and ready to try and stop us."
-Titans linebacker David Long Jr. led the team with 14 tackles, and Vrabel was impressed. "He plays with a lot of energy," Vrabel said of Long. "Plays with a lot of speed and quickness. It is never going to be perfect in there, but David (Long Jr.) shows a sense of passion and I love watching him play. He throws his body around and so do all the guys out there. I think he is getting more comfortable each and every week. We saw him blitz and affect the quarterback. Obviously, there will be some plays we have to coach up and he would like to have back, but he is very active."
-Asked if receiver Julio Jones could miss more time with his hamstring injury, Vrabel said, "We will just take it day by day and see how it goes tomorrow."
-Cornerback Caleb Farley has had a bad run of luck in his rookie season, from a shoulder injury to an illness to now a knee injury. "I know and I am very aware, as we all are, of Caleb's history," said Vrabel, referring to Farley's back injury in college. "He was very emotional (on Monday night). I told him that rest assured we were going to take care of him physically and mentally. I think that is the biggest thing probably, is when you are dealing with some of these injuries is the mental approach that you take about willing to talk to people and be willing to let people help you that have either been there or that can help you through. It is going to be a long process and I am confident that he will be back better and strong, but it is unfortunate."
-Titans linebacker Harold Landry had two more sacks against the Bills and he now has 6.5 on the season. "Harold works hard every week," Vrabel said. "He has continued to put himself in a position to be around the quarterback. One of those things was Josh (Allen) has a tendency to hold it, so last night, Harold (Landry III) was able to – and Jeffery (Simmons) got one of those. Just continue to rush, continue to rush relentlessly and hope that some of the disguise in the backend or the coverage will hold up for you to get there."
