Scout's take: Titans can get to Raiders' offensive line, Rock Ya-Sin

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This is a battle of the two-loss, zero-win teams.

The Raiders made a splash with the trade for Davante Adams and the free-agent signing of Chandler Jones.

Despite those two big-ticket acquisitions, the other big thing the new decision-makers did was deplete their depth by waving players who were drafted by the previous regime.

Jeffery Simmons

© George Walker IV -USA TODAY Sports

This has become a trend with new general managers and head coaches coming from the same team. They tend to sign and trade for players from their old team and discard players from the former regime.

Instead of picking the best players for the roster, they rely on comfort and familiarity.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The body language was exceptionally poor the more the game moved along and after it was over. And what posture would one expect after a team with high hopes fell to 0-2 with a miserable showing in Week Two at Buffalo?

“They beat us 41-7,” Caleb Farley said. “Nobody’s going to be happy or in a good mood after that.

Titans Defensive Backs Circle

The Titans often carry the swagger of their coach, Mike Vrabel, but they do not feel like a confident team now, no matter the broad experiences they have to lean on. The proximate results set the tone and there has to be some level of internal battling this week between “what have we done” and “we can do this” as the team readies for the Raiders at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

This team is more reliant, by design, on young guys and injuries are already pushing others into action.

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Mike Herndon: Major questions surface for Mike Vrabel’s Titans after MNF beatdown

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Two weeks into the 2022 NFL season, you can find the Tennessee Titans near the bottom of every significant statistical category:

  • 13.5 points per game – 28th
  • 31 points per game allowed – 30th
  • 273 yards per game – 27th
  • 404 yards per game allowed – 25th
  • 5 turnovers – 27th
  • 30.4 percent third down conversion rate – 26th
  • Offensive EPA per play – 31st
  • Defensive EPA per play – 28th

Mike Vrabel

They blew a game they mostly controlled at home against a Giants team that is expected to be among the worst in the league, and then followed that up with the worst loss of the Mike Vrabel era, a 41-7 drubbing in Buffalo that could have been much worse if the Bills hadn’t shown mercy by putting in human victory cigar Case Keenum by the end of the third quarter.

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Scout's take: Titans' roster deficiencies on display in loss to Bills

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans continued a downward trend after getting beat by a very average New York Giants team in Week One by getting throttled by a top-tier NFL team against the Bills in Week Two.

The Titans competed against the bottom team but couldn’t compete with the better one.

The Titans' top players were ineffective.

Tre Avery on Stefon Diggs

© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Henry ran for 1.9 yards a carry on 13 attempts for 25 yards,

Jeffrey Simmons did not register a tackle or sack in the game, credited with only a tipped pass.

Ryan Tannehill was 11 for 20 passing for 117 yards with two interceptions. He threw another one into the hands of a Bills safety but it was dropped.

Promising rookie wide receiver Kyle Phillips had his second fumbled punt in two weeks and had only one catch for five yards.

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Titans do it all wrong in Buffalo, leaving identity in question

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Over the last two years, the Titans’ regular season wins over Buffalo qualified as a significant achievement.

Monday night’s drubbing by the Bills said something entirely different about Tennessee’s proximity to the Bills, deserving Super Bowl favorites who outclassed their visitors by so much that backup quarterback Malik Willis was in the game before the third quarter was over.

TannehillINTUSA

© George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Maybe these Titans climb to the ranks of the best of the AFC over the course of 17 games. (Don’t laugh, it’s a long season.)

But it sure feels improbable after a listless two-game display, where no one has stepped up to make plays to inject any life. The Bills made plays at will at times, with Stefon Diggs paying three visits to the end zone against a first-round pick (Caleb Farley) a late-round pick (Chris Jackson) and an overmatched undrafted (Tre Avery).

Buffalo 41, Tennessee 7.

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Screen Shot 2022 09 18 at 10.12.05 PMBUFFALO, N.Y. -- Hunkered down in Buffalo, I spent halftime of Sunday Night Football chatting with you. This is absolutely the right time of year to be here.

It feels like a really long wait to kick off of the opener of the Monday Night Football doubleheader. While Week Two is early to say there is a lot at stake, only the Bengals and Raiders are 0-2 in the AFC. There will be much uphill work for the Titans if they return to Nashville in a similar state.

If you missed it, it's a good way to help tide you over, so pop below or head to the private Facebook page to give it a watch.

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Mailbag: Weighing the Titans' opener, anticipating the run-defense response and more

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Greetings from Western New York, where I am optimistic about the NFL television viewing options that await as I got up incredibly early Sunday to be here.

Titans fans should certainly have an interest in what goes on with the Colts visit to Jacksonville this afternoon. Indianapolis is without Michael Pittman and we know what happened the last time the Colts were in North Florida.Ryan Tannehill and Mike Vrabel

If you haven't heard the podcast yet, you'll want to set aside 30 minutes between not and kickoff. Avenues to it on all the major platforms await you here. We'll do a members broadcast at halftime of the Bears-Packers Sunday Night Football game.

Onto your mail. 

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PodcastArtNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A new podcast episode awaits you and you can find it through the very friendly and helpful Linktree.

Whichever platform you prefer, please subscribe, rate and review.

Subjects I delve into:

  • One way to attack the Bills' defense that forces lesser personnel on the field
  • The strong feelings about Todd Downing right now
  • Cornerback choices against quality receivers
  • Buffalo rolling through pass rushing but working without the exotic third-down stuff the Giants had
  • Getting to Austin Hooper
  • My plea for intentional drops league-wide in hurry up when only minimal gains are available
  • A couple of stats to know

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