Happy Holidays everyone.
When you read this, the countdown to the joyous occasion known as Christmas, will hit 3 days.
So you still have time to do some sort of good, if not, you’ll end up with coal in your stocking or you’ll just live as someone being lazy or a crappy person.
Either one is bad, so pick your poison.
Also, when you get the chance to read this, we’ll be gearing up for a matchup between 2 teams with January football on their minds. One team is still fighting for the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs, while the other is scratching and clawing for the 6th seed in the AFC playoffs.
Translation: both teams have plenty to play for, and a loss by either team will have big ramifications on their end of the season goals.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Titans Get Off to a Zooming Start
The Titans are to slow starts as good music to the soul.
They just go together seamlessly.
One of those things though have to be erased from the Tennessee Titans if they want to find their selves playing January football.
What’s so confusing is how the slow starts have held on to this team through this long season.
They’ve failed to score even a point in the first quarter of eight games this season and are 2-6 in those games. In five of them, they didn’t score in the first half. And lost all five.
via Teresa Walker of the AP
That simply just can’t continue. Not when you want to get into the playoffs, and it especially can’t continue if you somehow find your way into the playoffs.
The Titans won their most recent playoff game by overcoming a massive deficit, which was because of a, you guessed it, a slow start.
Those types of crazy comebacks rarely occur, so it’d be stupid to continue to rely on them to secure wins and constant boosts of morale.
But of course, these teams aren’t stupid, so they surely can’t be doing the opposite of what I’m saying.
Fast starts equal easier ends to games for the most part, so find the formula to get off to a fast start, sustain it, and find yourself in way less situations where you’re sweating out the end of games.
2. Ryan Tannehill Carrying The Offense
Don’t be fooled by this title, Derrick Henry’s recent success is a huge reason why this Titans offense has been exciting to watch over the last month or so.
However, Tannehill’s ability to do the simple things has helped this offense a ton.
Now, with Henry’s hamstring hampering him a great deal, it seems Tannehill is now faced with a situation he hasn’t had since his days in Miami.
Carrying the bulk of the offense.
Henry’s hamstring, which has made him questionable for tomorrow’s game, has made Henry look like a normal bruising back, without the violent runny style Henry that’s let Henry find so much success.
With that style unavailable, the run game isn’t going to be the same, so in place of that, Tannehill will have to find some more magic with his arm and maybe his legs going forward.
Luckily for Tannehill, he has 2 freaks on the outside in AJ Brown and Corey Davis, so it isn’t all “Threat Level Midnight”.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop myself from somehow inserting a reference from The Office.
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Derrick Henry Is NOT Expected to Play Today
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