With a pair of 2-11 teams facing off at LP Field, it seemed like ugly football was on the menu. Ugly football was what the Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets delivered. Contrary to what could have happened, though, it was a surprisingly compelling slopfest. Neither team led by more than five points at any time in the game, and it went down to the final play. The Titans had two chances in the final two minutes to find the end zone for a game-winning score but could not and fell, 16-11.
The Titans got off to a faster start than in previous games, not allowing any points to New York on their opening possession, and then scoring on their second drive for a 3-0 lead. The big play was when Jake Locker scrambled to avoid a sack and found Nate Washington for a 26-yard gain on third-and-8. That was pretty much Locker’s only highlight of the game, as he completed 6-of-11 passes for 57 yards in nearly two quarters of action before taking a big hit right before the two minute warning that popped out his shoulder and forced Charlie Whitehurst to finish the game.
Tennessee went up 5-0 after their third possession resulted in the Jets starting their second drive of the game at their own 7. An ill-fated screen call blown up by Jurrell Casey resulted in an intentional grounding and a safety. Being the Titans, though, Leon Washington muffed the ensuing free kick. The Jets missed that field goal, though, but got one their next possession after Kaelin Burnett was called for running into the punter to put New York just into field goal range.
The Titans extended their lead to 8-3 on their first possession of the second half. Charlie Whitehurst converted three third downs, including third-and-7 on a scramble and third-and-13 on a throw to Kris Durham, of all people. But the Jets took the 10-8, after a big pass play to Eric Decker, originally called an 81-yard TD but “only” a 48-yard gain after replay showed he stepped out, a personal foul by Jurrell Casey (who seemed fortunate not to be ejected for apparently throwing a punch to Geno Smith’s face after that play), and a fourth-and-1 score where Wesley Woodyard’s man coverage appeared to get disrupted by the route combination. The Titans would re-take an 11-10 lead after Washington redeemed himself somewhat for his earlier muff with a long return and Bishop Sankey’s first positive play of the day-it was a game where Shonn Greene finally got the work I’d been wanting to see him get for the past two months.
Things looked bleak for the Jets in the middle of the fourth quarter, when Smith threw incomplete for Decker on third-and-16. But Wesley Woodyard was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for what appeared to be getting in Decker’s face on the Titans sideline and the Jets took advantage of it. A direct snap to Chris Johnson went for 37 yards down to the 4 (CJ’s other 9 carries produced 18 yards). Coty Sensabaugh, who struggled against Decker most of the game, was flagged for defensive pass interference on third-and-goal. Chris Ivory, who didn’t do nearly as well as I thought he would, punched it in for a 16-11 lead after the two point conversion was dropped.
The Titans had a chance to win. They got a break early, as a Whitehurst sack was negated by defensive holding, then Delanie Walker had a couple of big catches to put the Titans inside the 30. A first down sack and three incompletions followed. They got another chance, from their own 19 with :21 seconds left. Nate Washington had a catch to get them to the 42. Then, a lateral-fest after a spike went Dexter McCluster to Nate Washington to Whitehurst to Delanie Walker, who looked like he might be bound for the end zone until he was forced out at the 9. Alas, it would not have counted anyway as Whitehurst’s second toss on the play was forward like his (legal) first one. And thus 16-11.
For a game between two bad teams, a lot to unpack. The Titans abandoned the Sankey run game for Greene, who went 16-50-about what you’d expect from a bad line against a good run defense. Dexter McCluster got a fair amount of work early as a rusher and got continued work as a receiver-with 18 yards, he was the game’s leading rusher at halftime. Nate Washington is currently credited with 102 yards on six catches, and was the only player to do positive things throughout the game. Delanie Walker is credited with 93, but only had two grabs for 9 yards until the Jets took the 16-11 lead-unlike last week, he wasn’t being targeted either. The sack of Whitehurst before the failed fourth down on the first drive in the final two minutes was the Jets’ only of the game, as Charlie showed off much better pocket movement than he did against Washington. Brett Kern had a good day, three times pinning the Jets at or inside their own 10. Derrick Morgan, George Wilson, and Al Woods had sacks, though Morgan’s came when Smith slipped on the LP Field surface, an issue multiple players had today even with Kendall Wright inactive. Jurrell Casey had a solid game, I thought, aside from the play where he should have been ejected.
In the end, the Jets were a little bit better, or a little bit less sloppy, or a little bit less good at tanking. The Titans are now 2-12 and will travel to Jacksonville to face the 2-12 Jaguars on a short week before ending the season against Indianapolis at home. Project high draft pick is still in good working order.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
