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Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
-It was a good night overall for Willis, who displayed his arm strength with a deep ball to Racey McMath for 48 yards and a sick sidearm throw to Tommy Hudson. Willis also had a pair of impressive scrambles, one for a seven-yard score and another for a 17-yard gain to close out his evening.
-The rookie showed good patience on multiple occasions when he stuck in the pocket and tried to make a play with his arm before taking off. On the flip side, he also took off too early on a few occasions, missed some throws and held on to the ball when he should have thrown it away a few times. That said, mistakes like these are to be expected with a rookie, especially in his debut. I’m not sure the Titans could have hoped for any better than what we saw from Willis.
Related: Willis’ highlights from preseason debut
-Tennessee’s offensive line didn’t make things any easier for Willis, as protection broke down multiple times, forcing Willis to improvise. He was sacked twice, with Christian DiLauro to blame for one of them.
-When compared to Logan Woodside, Willis was better. Woodside tossed a pair of picks and couldn’t eclipse Willis’ passing yards mark (107 to 102) despite throwing 13 more passes. The offense completely stalled once Woodside took over and didn’t score in the second half. After this game, it’s hard to say Woodside would give the Titans a better chance to win than Willis if Tannehill gets hurt. The rookie simply has more tricks in his bag, and he looked like the better player on Thursday night.
-Racey McMath continues to show his deep-ball prowess after getting loose for a 48-yard reception. He didn’t need to do much to further prove he belongs on this roster, but he added a 30-yard kick return for good measure.
–Kick returners: RB Trenton Cannon (2-50), WR Racey McMath (1-30), WR Terry Godwin (1-25)
–Punt returners: WR Kyle Philips (2-16)
-Philips didn’t have a lot of room to operate on punts, but we saw some of the shifty moves he has. He saw one target in the passing game but was held without a catch.
-Nicholas Petit-Frere started the game at left tackle with Dillon Radunz on the right side. The rookie then switched to the right side after Radunz was pulled. He was impressive and looked comfortable in his debut. Check out this nice block that helped spring Chestnut for a 29-yard run.
Chestnut with some redemption pic.twitter.com/BZnTQbPsds
— Bussin’ With The Boys 🐺 (@BussinWTB) August 12, 2022
-Julius Chestnut was the Titans’ best back overall, but he didn’t help himself with a lost fumble on his second carry.
-Hassan Haskins had a few strong runs but managed 19 yards on six carries. The offensive line didn’t help his cause. The rookie made a bigger impact in the passing game with three catches for 29 yards, and he would’ve had another big gain through the air if not for a penalty.
-It was a quiet night for Chigoziem Okonkwo and Treylon Burks. Chig had one catch for five yards on two targets, one of which saw Willis miss him high. Burks had one carry on a jet sweep for four yards. He did get a target in the end zone on a jump ball, but was unable to come down with it.
-Ryan Stonehouse is giving Brett Kern a run for his money, While the veteran was very good with a 54-yard average on three punts (long 58), Stonehouse was slightly better, averaging 59 yards per punt on two attempts, including a 60-yard bomb.
-Terry Godwin (4-31) and Mason Kinsey (2-30) were among Tennessee’s most productive receivers, along with McMath (1-48), who led the way.
-Dez Fitzpatrick desperately needed a good night but was held catch-less on one target.
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