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The Tennessee Titans saw their five-game win streak snapped as they lost in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-17, on the road in Week 9 of the 2022-23 NFL season. At 5-3, the Titans still hold first place in the AFC South. Here are the four players who are most to blame for the Titans' Week 9 loss vs. the Chiefs.
The Titans very nearly stunned the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. However, they finally fell short, losing a tight one in overtime. This was certainly a tough loss to take for Tennessee fans. The story of this defeat was the same as it has been all year. The Titans defense was outstanding, while the offense struggled.
Tennessee actually dictated the tempo of this matchup early on and they imposed their physicality. The Titans' tenacity, especially on defense, was evident throughout the game and took the Chiefs off guard. The Titans even got four sacks and eight total quarterback hits on QB Patrick Mahomes while consistently flushing him out of the pocket. The Tennessee ground offense also showed signs of life as Derrick Henry plowed through the line of scrimmage.
It was the Titans air game, however, that was severely lacking. Or, rather, it was literally non-existent. Consequently, Tennessee was 1-of-12 on third and fourth down because they couldn't get anything going with their passing game. That conversion rate definitely will not win many games for any team.
Let us look at the four players who are most to blame for the Titans' Week 9 loss vs. the Chiefs.
Hard fought battle #TENvsKC pic.twitter.com/EI5zCtM5cC
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 7, 2022
4-3. WR Chris Conley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
In Week 9, not a single Titans wide receiver caught a pass. Yes, you read that right. That's no typo. All 80 passing yards were via Tennessee's tight ends or running backs. This marked only the fourth occasion since 2000 that an NFL club went a whole game without a wide receiver successfully collecting a reception.
As bad as things were for the Titans wideouts, two guys stood out. Chris Conley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, in particular, both had massive drops that would have been game-changing receptions. In fact, they may have given Tennessee the three points they needed to win in regulation.
Instead, their drops were just part and parcel of Tennessee's horrendous passing efforts in this contest. Titans QB Malik Willis delivered a wonderful long ball down the sideline to Conley, who just dropped it. Meanwhile, Westbrook-Ikhine's drop was more difficult but still catchable.
Maybe Conley is a tad forgivable since he's a new addition to the team, but Westbrook-Ikhine should have been more dependable. He's had a quiet season, accumulating only seven receptions for 138 yards in eight games. Things have only gotten worse with Malik Willis at the helm, as Westbrook-Ikhine has only managed one target in his previous two games.
Furthermore, the Titans received no production from their other wideouts, Robert Woods and Cody Hollister. That's not too surprising, but it's still saddening.
2. OC Todd Downing
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Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing's play-calling was superb in the second quarter of this game. He finally began putting Willis' legs to good use to complement Derrick Henry. That strategy worked really well en route to 14 second-quarter points. We also saw the Titans shoot some deep shots that would have worked if not for the aforementioned drops.
However, that is about all the good we can say about Downing from this loss. Strangely enough, he eased up on the gas pedal and stopped doing what worked as soon as the second half started.
To no one's surprise, this resulted in an absolutely terrible performance during the third and fourth quarters. In the latter two periods, the Titans gained only 27 yards on the ground and -2 yards via the air. Tsk tsk, Mr. Downing.
1. QB Malik Willis
For Malik Willis, this was a tale of two halves. His ball placement was actually better than it was in his first start in Week 8. To illustrate, Willis hit tight end Austin Hooper with a gorgeous back-shoulder toss and could've had two more game-changing long completions if not for those drops.
Willis also showed his ability to use his legs, which are now his most valuable attribute as he develops moving forward. Unfortunately, as we already discussed, Downing almost completely abandoned the ground game in the second half, and the offense stalled as a result.
Having said that, Willis' final box score numbers were quite dismal. He also did not really make any sort of impact in that fateful second half.
Willis needs to assert himself more. Keep in mind that after eight games, the Titans passing attack remains their biggest issue. Even Ryan Tannehill returns, the Titans are doing things that are positioning their passing offense to be one of the all-time worst. Willis can change that, or he can help the offense go in the other direction by maximizing their ground attack.
Willis surely has a lot of potential. That much is apparent, but there's also still a lot of work to be done.
