NASHVILLE – The Titans beat the Jaguars 42-20 on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things that stood out from the game as the team begins to turn its attention to the Indianapolis Colts.
Tannehill's Guts
For the second game in a row, Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill proved to be a gamer at the goal-line. Following his memorable collision vs. the Chiefs, when he bowled into the end zone for a score, Tannehill capped off a 21-yard touchdown run vs the Jaguars with a fearless run to paydirt, which ended with him flying through the air and landing on his back. Tannehill has earned the respect of his teammates with his play, and his gutsy approach. And, oh yeah, it came on a day when he threw for 259 yards and two scores, with a 155.8 rating.
Henry's Stiff-Arm
The Jaguars had to have been thinking, "Not again!" as Titans running back Derrick Henry ripped off another big run against them on Sunday. On a scoring scamper that looked a lot like his 99-yard bolt against the Jaguars last year, Henry used his stiff-arm again and again yesterday on his 74-yard touchdown run. It was part of a 159-yard day for Henry, who after shredding the Chiefs for 188 yards on November 10, now has 347 rushing yards in his past two games this season.
A.J. Brown's Speed
Titans rookie A.J. Brown turned on the burners after catching a pass from Tannehill in the middle of the field, and no one came close to catching him. Brown's burst was on full display on his 65-yard touchdown catch, which was part of his four-catch, 135-yard day. Per NextGenStats, Brown's 20.72 mph on the play was the 8th-fastest time of weekend. Brown leads the Titans with 581 receiving yards and an 18.7-average-per-catch on the season.
Special Teams Standouts
Linebacker Daren Bates made the play of the day on special teams, forcing a fumble on kick coverage and recovering it on the same play. It set up a touchdown run by Henry. It was a stellar play by Bates. But I also consistently noticed defensive backs Dane Cruikshank and Amani Hooker on the coverage teams on a day when Adam Humphries and Kalif Raymond provided sparks in the return game, and punter Brett Kern (45.7-yard net) and kicker Ryan Succop (6-for-6 PATs), were solid.
The Scoring Explosion
Three touchdowns on three straight offensive plays, in a span of 4 minutes, 36 seconds. Oh my. What the Titans did in the third quarter on Sunday was one for the record books, and it was a first at Nissan Stadium. The Titans tied a franchise record by scoring 28 points in the third quarter, reaching the end zone on four consecutive drives to begin the second half. The franchise scored 28 points in the third quarter on two previous occasions, most recently against the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 19, 1971. The 28 points fell three points shy of the franchise record for the most points scored in any quarter (31 in the second quarter against Cleveland on Dec. 9, 1990). Those, of course, were the Oiler days.
Scrappy Adoree' Jackson
Inside linebacker Jayon Brown led the team with 15 tackles, and he was very active. But another player I kept noticing on Sunday was cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who was scrappy as a tackler and in pass defense. Jackson was credited with 12 tackles, including one for a loss. As a whole, the Titans secondary did a solid job keeping plays in front of them on a day when the Jaguars were forced to throw it 48 times while in catch-up mode.
