Tennessee Titans Offense: A Tale of Two Halves
NASHVILLE — On their first possession last Sunday, the Tennessee Titans looked like a team taking places.
The offense marched 76 yards in 10 games for a touchdown and delivered the first strike against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A half later it was a whole different story. On their first possession of the third quarter, the Titans produced a penalty, conceded a sack and suffered a three-yard loss, ending in a fourth and 30 situation.
The discrepancy between initial drives in the first and second halves has been all too common this season. Through 13 games, the Titans have nearly as many landings (six) on their opening drives in the first half, like they did first downs (seven) on their opening drives in the second half.
Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that these beginnings seem to go a long way towards setting the tone for the respective halves.
In the first half, the Titans average a respectable 13.2 points per game (10th in the league), but in the second half they average a miserable 5.4 points per game (32nd). Tennessee scored a whopping 30 points in the fourth quarter of this year. No other team has less than 50.
“When (first-half possession) is good, you like to build on it, and when it’s bad you have to be able to take a step back and wash it away,” said quarterback Ryan Tannehill. “I think that’s what matters. There will be good tracks, there will be bad tracks, whether it’s a drive or a series.
“If you have a ride (and) get stopped, you come to the sidelines, make adjustments, and then come out ready for the next ride. If you’re able to move the ball efficiently and go down and score, then you want to build on that and keep that momentum going. This is the game. It’s about being able to build momentum when you have it and when you don’t have it, being able to make enough plays to win it back and go from there.”
A statistical comparison of the Titans’ first drives in the first and second halves:
| Half | Possibly. | TD’s | 1. Descent | 3 and out | TOs | Punish | bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
First |
13 |
6 |
30 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
|
Second |
13 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
1 |
12 |
4 |
How stagnant were the Titans early in the second half?
They failed to catch a first down on 10 of those 13 possessions, with nine three-and-outs and one interception.
One of the biggest differences between the Titans’ initial drives in the first and second halves was the penalties.
The 13 game-opening drives included four penalties. But in the 13 drives to open the second half, flags have been flown 12 times.
For example, on Sunday against the Jaguars, tight end Geoff Swaim was flagged for an illegal crackback block in the first offensive game of the third quarter. That immediately led to a first-and-22 situation.
“I’m not sure why the penalties are increasing (on drives early in the second half),” Swaim said. “But of course that’s important given the poor production in the second half. It correlates.
“Especially on early downs in drives, that’s what kills you, just like that penalty killed that drive (against the Jaguars). It’s up to me That puts us behind the chain. If you’re a play-caller trying to make a play-call for first-and-22 or second-and-20, who has many good ones for that? So from there the whole ride is right behind it.”
Recently, poor pass protection helped to torpedo the first drives after halftime. Tennessee has allowed a sack in each of their last three games in this situation.
Ideally, the Titans will come out of the gate quickly in both halves this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
But when they struggle – as they often do early in the second half – the challenge is not to let the disappointment of a deflationary drive seep into subsequent possessions.
“(We don’t want) that roller coaster ride of having a good ride and then doing something that affects it and then really letting it affect the rest of the game,” said coach Mike Vrabel. “(The defense) will make some games. You will make a few stops. We have to get out as soon as we get the ball and come back and find the rhythm.
