Pathetic. Pitiful. Embarrassing.
Just three of the many words that one can use to describe today’s 27-13 Titans’ loss to the previously-winless Colts.
In addition to serving as the silver lining to Indy’s cloudy 2011 campaign, the Titans for all intents and purposes, probably tossed asunder their slim chances of qualifying for an AFC Wild Card spot.
More on today’s devastating defeat…after the jump.
An afternoon of errors
Mistakes were a recurring theme for the Tennessee Titans this afternoon.
Gosh….where do I begin? You had two interceptions courtesy of the right-arm of a clearly hobbled Matt Hasselbeck. To be fair, one could argue that both INT’s weren’t completely his fault, thanks to Chris Johnson having one of them stolen from his grasp and the other caused by a relentless pass-rush of a guy we’re familiar with around these parts…DT Antonio “Mookie Johnson.
Defensively, you had the gut-wrenching dagger of a run by Indy’s Donald Brown, who escaped the pursuit of a litany of Titan defenders en route to a game-clinching 80-yard scamper.
Finally, there were some special teams’ blunders as well. Tommie Campbell was often a marked-man by the refs as he was penalized on multiple occasions. Then you had Marc Mariani’s ill-fated attempt to field a kick-off that led to the anything but desirable starting field-position of the one-yard line on one possession.
As you can see, in all facets of the game, mistakes reigned supreme for the Titans on Sunday.
Let the Jake Locker era begin
As he did in recent weeks against Atlanta and New Orleans, Jake Locker came in and provided somewhat of a spark but unfortunately, came up on the losing end of the scoreboard.
Locker ended the afternoon completing 11 of his 16 throwing attempts for 108 yards and yet another touchdown pass to his favorite wide receiver, Nate Washington.
Jake’s got a lot to learn and he’s still a work-in-progress in the pocket, but with two games remaining and a shot at the postseason all but over, it’s time to let the rookie start paying some of his dues as a starting quarterback in this league.
Regardless of how the team finishes in terms of its W-L record, the final two games of the season should mostly be about getting Locker some reps and experiences. In other words, some lessons that will be helpful as #10 embarks upon the journey of preparing to open the 2012 season as the Titans’ starting signal-caller.
Final Random Thoughts
-In a performance we’re all too familiar with in 2011, Chris Johnson once again struggled for the most part against Indy, carrying the ball 15 times for a less-than-stellar 55 yards.
Regardless of whether it’s the offensive line’s fault, or CJ’s to blame or a combination of both factors, the bottom-line is that the Titans’ are a below-average running team.
-Gutty showing by Nate Washington today. Playing on a bum ankle, Washington snagged 7 grabs for 62 yards and a score.
-Speaking of receiving threats, fellow WR Lavelle Hawkins and TE Jared Cook were busy, grabbing 9 and 8 catches respectively.
-I’ll be honest, I was hoping Coach Munchak would pull Hasselbeck in place of Locker sooner. It was clear that Hasselbeck was hobbled by his calf injury, so Locker’s spark could have been felt earlier in the game.
Of course, I’m not going to blame the loss on the decision to keep Hasselbeck in the game longer…that had more to do with what was previously mentioned in the opening of this article.
Well, folks…I’m finished. Have any thoughts/opinions of your own? You know the procedure….
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