NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a signature win that could come to mean something big for the Titans, Ryan Tannehill didn’t have flashy numbers.
But the quarterback made the throws the Titans needed and he showed off his athleticism with four notable runs that kept things going and brought the Titans energy that has too often been missing.
That energy was a theme during the week for Mike Vrabel.
On the touchdown drive that cut K.C.’s lead to 29-27, Tannehill made an excellent 12-yard run on third-and-10 where he showed fantastic determination.
“I was about to throw it to A.J. (Brown) but they passed it off, really good job, good coverage by those guys, they gave me a lane, I was able to get the first down,” Tannehill said.
He also had a nice 7-yard run on a first-and-10 on that drive and an 18-yard scramble on the drive that produced the go-ahead TD.
On the 2-point conversion play with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter that ensured the Chiefs could do no better than force OT with a field goal, Tannehill took a big shot at the goal line but then got into the end zone with solid a second effort.
Mike Vrabel liked the whole package on that four-play 61-yard, 58-second drive.
“Well, I think that’s what it comes down to – the quarterback,” he said. “That’s what we see every week in this league, is those guys managing that drill, that two-minute drill, that tempo procedure. Getting guys where they want them to be. Making guys believe if they do their job, we’re going to score. If we protect, and if we run great routes, and that’s the quarterback’s job – they raise everybody’s level of performance.”
The 2-point conversion play doesn’t count as a carry or rushing yards, so Tannehill finished with the three for 37.
I’m convinced Marcus Mariota is a better athlete than Tannehill, though Tannehill is also a very good one who may know how to use his athleticism better right now.
If you thought the Titans were giving away a lot in the run game at quarterback with the switch from Marcus Mariota to Tannehill four games ago, his work on the move and the determination and efficiency against the Chiefs running says the gap is not that large and the overall trade-off is more than worth it.
“Ryan was looking like me out there running the ball,” Jonnu Smith said. “Ryan is a dog.”
Vrabel on Tannehill’s running. #Titans. pic.twitter.com/M9FPUZCJLB
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 11, 2019
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