By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –  During the week leading up to the game studying film of the Chargers from a personnel perspective, they were without a doubt the better team on paper Sunday and should have won this game in a commanding fashion.

The Titans won on Sunday because they had a plan and executed it despite their opponent’s talent level.

Mike Vrabel’s team has intangible qualities that show up against talented teams that consistently underperform. The Titans out-coached the Chargers staff. Their players outplayed the Chargers in critical situations. 

Individual Titan players had outstanding games: Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, Jeffrey Simmons and Denico Autry. But this game was won and lost by the play style and coaching plan of each team.

The Titans got back to playing their brand of football.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trouble came at Ryan Tannehill plenty on Sunday, and he stared it down.

It didn’t prompt bad decisions, interceptions or fumbles. He was sacked five times for 46 yards, all five of them ending drives. But he got up and kept at it. The Titans had the good sense to bail on Xavier Newman after two series, as he couldn’t handle what the Chargers were bringing at him, and Dillon Radunz helped settle things down in the absence of left guard Peter Skoronski, out sick.

The Titans ended an eight-game losing streak with a 27-24 overtime win over the Chargers at Nissan Stadium when Nick Folk hit a 41-yard field goal in overtime. Look at the game and the route to points was clear:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Well that was a whole lot better than what we saw in New Orleans.

An opportunistic team that withstood the bad, made some good things happen and outlasted a team with more talent. That's what we are used to seeing good Mike Vrabel teams do on a lot of NFL Sundays. After eight consecutive losses, they finally got back to it.

Last week you came to the postgame chat awfully angry. You were in a delightful mood this time and I was happy for all of you.

You can rewatch at the private Facebook page or the secret YouTube channel below.

Our weekly postgame conversations are a popular feature of PaulKuharsky.com and you can become a member and be part of one this week and another from the press box in Cleveland after next week's game. 

Maybe we will be talking about a two-game winning streak.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Shockingly, I opened the mailbag and it was filled with Ryan Tannehill questions.

I did my best to dig through them and I think we get to some interesting information about him.

First, I encourage you to make sure you get to this week's podcast between now and kickoff. Quality stuff in there with a lot of Titans' voices and my commentary.

Get it on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube.

Onto the best of what you passed along. Thanks for that and feel free to send questions via Facebook or Twitter (I'm not calling it X) anytime. If you're a member you can easily find me through the private Facebook page, and those questions get priority.

Alex Law What is Tannehill’s history after bad games - does he normally bounce back quickly or does he go on cold streaks?

Read More...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A lack of a dominant offensive tackle means a quality pass rusher is going to require chip help, and chip help means an eligible receiver is going to be limited in what he can do as an option for the offense.

We start this week's podcast looking at chips from that perspective, and also from the perspective of the Titans defense, where Jeffery Simmons said he can regard a back or tight end trying to slow him as a wasp sting that may hurt a little bit but also wears off.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube, which is below.

Other subjects I dive into:

💥 Backside wide receivers can be open and helpless
💥 What does a great run defense mean if you give up a bunch of big passes?
💥 Lack of wide receiver separation

It's all brought to you by Jasper's.

The podcast is the front door to PaulKuharsky.com.

If you like what you hear or see here, you'd really love the rest of the site. Join the fun.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Chargers look great on paper. They have talented players at almost every position on their depth chart. But they also woefully underperform on the field each year.

They have a franchise-caliber quarterback, a productive running back and receivers and an offensive line that has been carefully constructed to be both pass protectors and run blockers.

On defense, the Chargers have premier pass rushers, athletic three-down inside linebackers and cover cornerbacks with ball skills and a safety who is a do-it-all all-star caliber player.  

The mix of youth and veterans is also impressive. The roster is constructed very well.  

The Titans have been a team that has taken advantage of talented but poor performers in the past. The question is if they can resist the temptation to alter their successful formula of the past.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Many concerns linger after the Titans' opening day loss in New Orleans, when Ryan Tannehill played terribly and the offense couldn't find the end zone while the defense couldn't get a stop at the crucial moments and it allowed too many big plays by the Saints.

How many of the issues we saw at the Caesars Superdome will carry over to Nissan Stadium on Sunday in the home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers?

That's the question that summarizes all the concerns.

So we gathered to talk about Tannehill, the roots of his issues in the first game and the likelihood he can correct those in Week Two as well as the odds of the Titans, who scored 15 points, being able to keep up with the Chargers, who scored 34 in a loss to Miami. The Titans lost 17-14 at Los Angeles last year. The Chargers' defense is similar. The offense is now coordinated by Kellen Moore, but could be without Austin Ekeler who's dealing with an ankle injury.

You can rewatch the excellent conversation at the private Facebook page or on YouTube which you can access below.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ryan Tannehill got frustrated at his Wednesday press conference after taking what he felt like were too many specific questions about his complete dud in the season opener at New Orleans.

Everyone just wants to understand how things went that badly.

I'm not sure how one example or a few details about what went wrong and what he’ll be working on to fix it would have been bad for a guy whose popularity has been tumbling since a three-interception game in the Cincinnati playoff loss that ended the team's 2021 season.

He not selling anyone out if he says "I was terrible and have to be miles better" while also indicating there are some elements of the new offense that weren't exactly clean right from the beginning. [Unlocked]