NFL Insider Notes Week 4: Titans Find Way to Win Again, Winston Time in Tampa and More



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Winning ugly is a beauty. No point of style. It does not matter.

I do not know exactly what is happening to the Titans, but it's pretty incredible and confusing, and there may be something special going on there. Tennessee has only played four games this season, but each of them has been odd, and the miraculous return of the overtime win against the reigning Super Bowl champion has been one of the the toughest games we've ever seen.

Each week, there's something else with this scrappy group, who continue to find themselves in eccentric and captivating games, even if they leave much to be desired in terms of offensive and aesthetic football. We're just coming in October and the Titans have already played a crazy, storm-filled game in Miami with multiple time-related delays, losing their quarterback, but still managed a game. Then, in the second week, they did the unthinkable and won with Blaine Gabbert, no less, largely thanks to a successful kickoff for a long touchdown against the Texans. During the third week, Marcus Mariota was forced to action when Gabbert was injured, and even though he could barely grab the ball properly, let alone knock him down, they were suffocated to win.

The one they will remember in Nashville will have mostly arrived on Sunday. The Titans managed a wild and outright ridiculous comeback on the Eagles, in which Mariota scored 12 for 12 for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to force overtime. OT checked. Again, someone in this locker room is living well.

It was crazy, and this is the kind of project the young team can use for a long time. That's the kind of thing that gives Mike Vrabel, the rookie head coach, an immediate cache in his locker room, Titans resembling the NFL's first-ever fate team.

In the last practice only, they converted a fourth and fifteen (19 yards) to get to the middle of the field. They converted the fourth and fourth, under one call of interference. They had 17 yards on a third and 19, and then, of course, fourth and second, scoring 17 yards on a half-pass from Dion Lewis. Then, Corey Davis, 10th in the 10th, went to get a Mariota pass from the end zone, and the mess ensued. These guys look like tough guys, and a team that I think will be quite viable in AFC South.

The offensive line is healthier. Mariota played the best match of his career. And the real reason this team managed to go 3-1 to start the season is the threatening nature of this defense. They were sturdy and tough, and they hit Carson Wentz at least 10 times according to my count and flipped him over and over. This defense proves quite difficult to score.

They have not yet allowed a quick touchdown this season, and they have only managed six offensive touchdowns in four games. The Titans make life miserable for the quarterbacks. He may still run a bit hot in attack, but it's hard to see this time fading and fading given the good vibrations that are occurring.

The Bucs return to Winston's team

We are about to know who Jameis Winston is. And who are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, from elsewhere. A club that many of us thought could flirt with a top-five pick came back in free fall after a torrid start. FitzMagic took his course and the Buccaneers presented one of Sunday's least inspiring performances.

And now, Winston will have to bring them together to get out of this 48-10 debacle. If Winston can be the leader of this team, a person worthy of a $ 25 million contract a year, who can avoid trouble and become a guy you can really rely on, the next three months will tell you . We will have to start the week 6.

Winston seemed nervous and helpless when he entered this explosion at half-time. He ran around the pocket in a manic way, hyper hyper sometimes. He throws balls high and wide. He ended the day with a pretty brutal interception at a time when the Bears were just playing their backups and were eager to get into the locker room.

Winston could afford a stinker here, with the game already finished when he came in and after being away for almost a month from his suspension. But now, having seen what this offense might look like best when Ryan Fitzpatrick was unstoppable for almost three weeks, the stakes are even greater for the returning starter. Can he finally play with DeSean Jackson? Can he spread the ball? Can he play at a constant level?

If he does not, all these pre-season stories about the fact that it's a franchise with important jobs in play will simply come back. And if it does, this important contract could still be, in Tampa or elsewhere.

Notes of the week 4

  • Falcons have big problems. After three straight home defeats after losing to the Eagles, in the first week they had to win at least two. And after another complete and complete defensive meltdown, this time in the Bengals, this is a team that may be struggling to compete in the playoff race in a year when it will host the Super Bowl. Atlanta has dropped 104 points in the last three games and just can not stop when he needs it. The Bengals ran all games without Joe Mixon on the field.
  • Smart Patriots to follow a ball control approach against the Dolphins. They insisted that the rookie Sony Michel be fast and frequent. They made a physical approach to Miami after spitting on the offensive almost all season. They neutralized Cam Wake and Robert Quinn. Make no mistake, it's a dazzling statement and Julian Edelman's return of the suspension is not a small factor either.
  • The Eagles struggled to move the ball to the floor much of the day and passing protection was a big problem. I have to think about a few more weeks like this and LeVon Bell's visions continue to dance in their heads. This offense could use another dimension. Nelson Agholor continues to pass passes, and the return of Jay Ajayi will have to be monitored.
  • Josh Allen will have a lot of games like Sunday at Lambeau given the state of this offensive line. It was hard to watch.
  • Why did the Seahawks not shoot their kicks yet?
  • Dak Prescott has a good two minutes drive to lead his return, but if Dallas has to rely on Zeke Elliott as receiver and runner, the season will be long.
  • Why was Aaron Rodgers still in the game in the lost time of a dead-end win that was still lying on one leg?
  • It worked in his favor, and the Texans finally won a match, but Bill O'Brien's decision to play for the late draw in overtime is the kind of thing that could have ruined his entire program. I guess everything is fine, but Frank Reich is going for fourth and second place with Andrew Luck in 43rd place, with a 0-3. This tie will not get anyone into the playoffs. Fortunately for O & # 39; Brien, he won the race anyway.

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