NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Coming out of the win that got the Titans to 4-4, the biggest topic of conversation has been the ill-fated fake field goal in the fourth quarter. Mike Vrabel wanted to put the game away when a field goal would have put his team up 7 points and all but assured nothing worse than overtime.

One thing that struck me about his explanation was his reliance on how that play functioned in practice.

After the game, Vrabel said: "We want to go win the football game. Understand that we practice, and we study, we get looks, and we feel very confident in the look that we’re going to get. They made a play, we didn’t, just like when we made a play at the end of the game when it was fourth-and-1.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The last thing I wrote in my preview of Buccaneers-Titans was that turnovers could be the key to the game.

It’s a basic tenant but it turned out to be true in this one.

Turnovers by the Buccaneers gave the Titans offense early points and an inadvertent whistle by the referees took away a go-ahead score on punter Brett Kern’s fumble on the fake field goal.

QB Jameis Winston was his usual self: Careless with the ball in the pocket and in the air. He had two interceptions and two fumbles and he gave the Titans’ offense two turnovers in scoring territory early in the first quarter of the game.

Winston’s career trajectory is following the model set by QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Flashes big-play ability but can’t avoid the turnovers.

Winston has just enough arm talent to intrigue teams, but his costly mistakes keep him from being a winning player in the NFL. This was something that plagued him at Florida State, but the Seminoles were able to “out-talent” most of their competitors.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The defense had put them on the porch twice.

The Titans offense punched in a couple early touchdowns from wonderful field position provided by the defense. The first thanks to a Jameis Winston fumble from a too-early shotgun snap that bounced off the quarterback’s facemask and was recovered by Isaiah Mack, the second thanks to a Malcolm Butler interception.

But when the Titans needed a knockout punch against the Buccaneers on a day where the defense provided most of the field position, the offense had one big drive in them: The 12-play, 90-yard mark took them 6 minutes and 54 seconds in the fourth quarter.

That provided the final 27-23 margin.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel loves the idea of delivering a knockout punch, so much so that sometimes it feels as if he forgets they play out the clock in the NFL no matter what.

Sunday in position to assure his team a worst-case scenario of a regulation tie, he insisted on an attempt to put it away.

But I was hardly the only person to come away from the Titans 27-23 win over the Buccaneers Sunday at Nissan Stadium confused.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Happy weekend. I hope you're able to dodge the rain, find some fun and enjoy some football.

Here is the public Periscope we did Thursday night.

#Titans pre-Bucs brought to us by @WinnersNash https://t.co/iiUC2kTTZb

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 25, 2019

If you missed the podcast with Frank Wycheck, you really ought to check that out.

I got some good discussion topics in the mail so let's hit them.

If the entire 2015 QB draft was a bust as it certainly appears, do those QB needy teams at that time like the #Titans get a pass if they perhaps picked the best of a very poor class? #Pkmail

— The General (@mac9nj) October 25, 2019

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tampa Bay is coming off a bye week and needed a chance to regroup after losing three of its last four games.

On defense, the Buccaneers are built to stop the run with the No. 1 run-stopping defense but they struggle to stop the pass with the 32nd ranked defense against the pass.

The Buccaneers have a defensive line of Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea and William Gholston do they have the type of personnel that can not only hold the point-of-attack on plays run at them but also shed blocks and go make the play.

Vea is a space-eating NT who also has the quickness and movement skills to shed blocks and make plays inside the tackle box. Vea is playing at a high level and will be a tough matchup for the interior of the Titans’ offensive line.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When DaQuan Jones strolled around one of the Titans’ practice fields with me in early September, he didn’t want to blame his 2017 biceps injury for his 2018 season, but he admitted it had been a big factor.

This year, Jones has been a solid piece of the Titans’ high-quality defense, which ranks fourth on third down and fourth in points allowed.

In his sixth season, Jones is again playing the way the team imagined he could under Mike Vrabel and Dean Pees as a strong force inside. He works as a base-defense nose tackle and has been inside with Jurrell Casey for a lot of nickel snaps.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Reggie Gilbert knew Mike Vrabel and the Texans liked him when he was coming out of Arizona, but he landed in Green Bay.

With a trade just before the season started Vrabel finally has had his chance to work with Gilbert. Once the ankle injury he brought with him cleared up, Gilbert has played a good deal with the Titans through their first seven games.

We recorded this shortly after his first start, Week 4 in Atlanta when he was still getting settled in Nashville.

His sister played for two teams in the WNBA, so we discussed which he preferred and how she once scammed him on a basketball court. We also covered which of four bowl-game gift bags was the best, his taste for fried alligator, Packers throwback uniforms, picking a small bicycle from a kid for the famed ride to the locker room during Green Bay training camp, his best game and more.

This is available to all, just click to head below the line. [Unlocked.]