The Tennessee Titans got what they wanted in Week 7. Sunday marked the first Ryan Tannehill start since Week 17 of the 2018 NFL season, when he was under center for the Miami Dolphins. In that game, Tannehill went 18-31 with 147 yards and two interceptions.
It's safe to say that not only is Tannehill happy to be out of a Dolphins uniform, but ecstatic to have a starting job again, for however long it lasts. The way the seventh-year quarterback played on Sunday might make him the permanent starter in Tennessee as he had his first 300-yard passing game since Week 3 of the 2016 season.
I don't know how you grade Tannehill with anything less than a B performance given that he led his team to a much-needed victory. Tannehill is much more experienced than the replacement quarterbacks we have seen take over this season, playing in 91 career games. His experience was on display Sunday, as the quarterback went 23-29 with 312 yards passing and two touchdowns with one pick.
The former Texas A&M product did not wow anyone but was able to make on-time and accurate throws all day long. His yards gained per pass attempt was higher than any game Marcus Mariota played all season long, 10.76 compared to Mariota's season-high of 10.33. It seemed like whenever he dropped back Tannehill was able to pick up first down yardage and move the sticks.
While he was facing a Los Angeles Chargers team that has looked incompetent in the last few weeks, Tannehill still was able to pull out a win and make on-time throws during some key drives for the Titans. The quarterback was able to play up to par with Philip Rivers and one could even argue he outplayed the veteran.
Don't get it misconstrued, Tannehill would not start on the majority of NFL teams, including the Chargers, but for a Titans team that is still looking for the right guy to place under center, Tannehill is that guy for the rest of the season. The Marcus Mariota experiment did not work for Tennessee as they should be looking at potential draftees in the coming year, but for an offense that doesn't ask too much from their quarterback, Tannehill has proven serviceable enough to win you some games.
There will be many games where you will be left scratching your head but is Tannehill's on-field performance better than what you'll get from Mariota, I think so. At this point, head coach Mike Vrabel should stand by his decision and let Tannehill ride out the rest of the season, knowing he won't be under center for long.
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