Titans wideout Kenny Britt hauls in a first-half catch against Baltimore
In week 1, the Baltimore Ravens simply bullied around the mighty Steelers, the defense in purple taking the ball away from the Steelers seven times that day. The Tennessee Titans floundered around and struggled to move the ball against a weak, or at least a beatable, Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even many Tennessee fans felt the Titans could be in for a long day in their 2011 home-opener against Baltimore.
Britt
But that’s why they play the games, as they say. The Titans came out fired up, and the defensive unit held Joe Flacco to under 200 yards passing and took two interceptions. The whole defense looked solid, the pass rush was on, the coverage was tight, Ray Rice was held under control and the Titans controlled time of possession.
At the end of the day, the Titans doubled up the Ravens 26-13.
The great news for the Titans is that Kenny Britt has been a beast in both games and just looks unstoppable. He now has 14 receptions and three touchdowns in the first two games of the 2011 season.
Matt Hasselbeck said after the Ravens game that he had never worked with a player with as much talent as Kenny Britt.
And Nate Washington’s coming to the party too. He’s hauled in 13 catches in the two games as well. Though his style and stature aren’t as flashy and intimidating as Britt’s, these two guys have that ability to be the best receiving duo since the days of Mason and Dyson.
Some complain the Titans’ passing game has been lackluster in the Fisher era, but with Britt getting rolling, that trend can change.
And Jared Cook came through and made a spectacular catch against the Ravens!
Hasselbeck ended the game passing for over 350 yards going 30-42.
The Titans defense held Flacco and the Ravens in check; DBs Alterraun Verner (left) and Jason McCourty each had an interception.
The Titans executed the plays they needed to in order to win.
Who cares about how many yards your million-dollar running back has when you can chalk up a win against the hated Baltimore squad?
The mass of scary humanity up the middle known as Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Terrance Cody and Co. could have something to do with the running game not being as much of a part of the game plan in this one.
The upside to the early-season divisional loss in week 1 is that there will be a rematch with Jacksonville on Christmas Eve in Tennessee.
The bottom line now is that the Titans have 14 more games to go this season, and Coach Mike Munchak has a 1-0 record at LP field. They will take on the Denver Broncos at home on Sept. 26.
View the full 2011 season schedule here
Fans pour over the pedestrian bridge from downtown to the stadium. Photos by Bracken Mayo.
