Turnovers and penalties have been key to Titans’ season

Coaches have an old saying that turnovers and penalties will kill you. It’s a maxim that held true again in the Titans 34-27 win over the Cowboys on Sunday. Dallas was good enough to move the ball up and down the field but not good enough to overcome their mistakes.

 

The Cowboys amassed 511 total net yards, while the Titans gained only 321. Dallas had 25 first downs to 17 for Tennessee. The Cowboys controlled the ball for 36:44 while the Titans maintained possession for just 23:16. Dallas had 75 plays from scrimmage, Tennessee only 55.

 

The difference in the game was that Tennessee didn’t commit any turnovers and had only four penalties for 40 yards. Dallas turned the ball over three times and had 12 penalties for 133 yards.

 

It’s something that has been a constant in all of the Titans games this year. In their three wins, the Titans have won the battle of turnovers and penalties. In their two losses, the Titans have lost the turnover/penalty battle.

 

In Titans three wins:

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Titans	0	1	20	201
Opponents	6	2	33	296

 

In Titans two losses:

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Titans	3	6	21	183
Opponents	1	1	11	109

  

Here’s the game by game breakdown.

 

Week 5 — Titans 34, Cowboys 27

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Titans	0	0	4	40
Cowboys	3	0	12	133

 

 

Week 4 — Broncos 26, Titans 20

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Broncos	1	0	6	74
Titans	0	2	10	111

 

Week 3 — Titans 29, Giants 10

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Titans	0	0	8	80
Giants	2	1	11	86

 

Week 2 — Steelers 19, Titans 11

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Steelers	0	1	5	35
Titans	3	4	11	72

 

 

Week 1 — Titans 38, Raiders 13

	Interceptions	Fumbles lost	Penalties	Penalty yards
Titans	0	1	8	81
Raiders	1	1	10	77

 

Losing the battle of turnovers and penalties was most pronounced in the Pittsburgh loss. Seven turnovers to one and double the penalties won’t beat anybody.

 

Winning the turnover/penalty battle was the most beneficial against Dallas, as noted above.

 

The things that Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula and all those old coaches said about turnovers and penalties remain true today. Sometimes it’s a pretty simple game.