Studs and duds from Tennessee Titans’ Week 7 loss to Buffalo Bills

The Tennessee Titans weren’t expected to win against the Buffalo Bills this week, and they stayed true to those expectations, falling to the Bills, 34-10.

It seemed like the Titans might be turning the tide when Mason Rudolph got the start and gave the Titans a 10-7 lead entering the half. But Bills head coach Sean McDermott made adjustments at halftime, and it didn’t seem like Brian Callahan did the same. It showed on the scoreboard as the Bills went on to score 28 unanswered points.

Just because the Titans lost, though, it doesn’t mean that everyone played horribly. There were a few players who stood out with top performances, and a few who stood out with horrible ones.

Here’s a quick look at the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Sunday’s loss.

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Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is TitansWire’s player of the game for Week 7 after exhibiting some solid defense in crucial moments today. He prevented two imminent touchdowns from being scored, and his presence on the field indicates that he is indeed ready to make the leap from college to the pros. His playing time has increased since Chidobe Awuzie was placed on injured reserve, and each week he does something that catches your attention. He’s been a solid addition to the Titans’ defense.

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Calvin Ridley caught just three of the nine passes thrown his direction today for a total of 42 yards. For someone who wanted more targets, he’s certainly not performing like he deserves more opportunities. Mason Rudolph and Brian Callahan did their best to get him the ball today, but he didn’t do his part and catch it.

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Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse saw more action than anyone would have liked today. Everyone would rather the Titans were putting points on the board than punting the ball away, but the Bills’ defense did its job well and forced the Titans to punt five times. Stonhouse punted for a total of 256 yards today, an average of 53.2 yards per punt. He did his job in this field position battle, keeping the Bills’ starting position on their side of the field.

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DeAndre Hopkins was targeted just once today, and while he caught that pass, it was for -2 yards. Hopkins hasn’t produced much in 2024, and this week was no different. If the Titans want to turn it around, they need to get Hopkins more involved. No one can gain momentum if they aren’t given an opportunity to get started.

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Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. led all defenders today with seven tackles (four solo). Especially in the second half, Murray disrupted the Bills’ offense and helped the rest of the defense force five punts of their own.

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This may be a harsh judgment on Rudolph since he was a last-minute starter, but he barely completed half of his passes (25/40) and averaged 5.4 yards per play. He threw one touchdown and one interception and threw for 215 yards. But he also fumbled the ball three times, losing it once and getting saved by his teammates the other two times. Rudolph is a veteran who doesn’t typically perform this way, but today he did, and it really hurt.

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Nick Westbrook-Ikhine scored his second touchdown of the season against the Bills. He caught two of four passes sent his way for 10 yards in addition to that touchdown, but that was it. The last two games, Westbrook-Ikhine has managed to get himself open in an area of the field where he can hit the end zone. Whether that’s intentional by Brian Callahan or not, who knows, but at least someone is putting points on the board.