The Tennessee Titans (2-8) were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings (8-2) 23-13 at Nissan Stadium on November 20th
The Titans started the scoring in the first quarter with a field goal after recovering a fumble by Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. The Vikings responded quickly with a 47-yard touchdown pass caught by Jordan Addison to take the lead 7-3.
The Vikings took over the scoring in the second quarter with a rushing touchdown (missed PAT) by Sam Darnold and a 40-yard field goal to extend their lead to 13 points.
After halftime, the Titans started the scoring late in the third quarter with a 98-yard passing touchdown caught by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to cut their deficit to six points. The 98-yard passing touchdown by Will Levis was one yard short of being tied with Derrick Henry’s 99-yard for the longest offensive play in Titans history.
The Vikings scored a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to increase their lead to thirteen points, and the Titans could only score a field goal to make the final score 23-13.
The Good:
Will Levis went 17/31 for 295 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Levis played really well in this game, considering the consistent failure of the right side of the O-line. If not for a questionable flag Levis would have thrown for over 300 yards and had another passing touchdown. Levis also threw an interception late in the fourth quarter in desperation while already being down by ten points, but it didn’t have an effect at that point.
The Titans defense played really well in this game. Although the stat sheet doesn’t show it, the Titans had several crucial stops on fourth downs, but with all the questionable calls by the referees, the Vikings were given great opportunities to score points. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was thrust into the starting role for the Titans as injuries in the secondary have started to stack up. Brownlee was responsible for one of the best receivers in the league in Justin Jefferson, and he did an excellent job. Jefferson caught six passes for 81 yards and didn’t have a game-changing effect on the game, which would be considered a slow day for him.
The Bad:
You could make a case that the reason the Titans lost this game was because of the consistent failure of several players at the right tackle position. The Titans gave up five sacks in this game and the Vikings didn’t even have to rush more than four players to get to Levis. The Titans rotated a few different players through the tackle spot but none seemed to be any better than the others.
The Titans travel to Houston on November 24th to face the Texans for the first time this season.