Fourth-Down Calls, Plenty More Sink Titans in Buffalo

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BUFFALO – The Titans showed a little first-half promise at Highmark Stadium. But it was a mirage. A much better team led by the sort of quarterback Tennessee can only dream of showed the Titans how things are done in the second half.

The Bills made the Titans pay for errors in play-calling judgment, time for Josh Allen, space in the secondary and their continued inability to find explosive plays, particularly from their big addition at receiver.

game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Mason Rudolph/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Titans owned the first half, but owning a half for Tennessee amounts to 10 points. The Bills showed their guests what real ownership looks like when they flipped things in the second half with 34 points. And 34-10 was where it ended, another ugly loss for the 1-5 Titans.

“After being out there on defense for a little minute, it’s the league, they’re going to find you, they’re going to find where you’re not at,” Ernest Jones said. “That’s what he started to do. …It’s just execution on our part.”

The theme from players was all about getting back to work and improving individually. Which is nice. But they’ve been trying that for the whole season, got one good result against the terrible, injury-depleted Dolphins, and are heading to Detroit to face the 5-1 Lions, who pulled even with the Vikings in the NFC North with a late win in Minneapolis.

Everything the Titans did to put this team together looks like a mistake so far: The big money spent on veterans who aren’t helping now when they are help-now guys, the young offensive minded-coach who made objectionable decisions on two fourth-and-shorts and can’t create stuff for his people, the lack of a move at right tackle where Brian Callahan admits “we’ve just got a problem” and much more.

The league’s No. 1 pass defense got picked apart by Josh Allen, the best quarterback the Titans have faced so far. In the second half, he hit on 17 of 22 passes for 258 yards. The Bills’ third and fourth-quarter possessions ended with touchdown, field goal, touchdown, field goal and touchdown. 

The two of the big additions to the secondary were out with injuries – L’Jarius Snead with a quad bruise and Chidobe Awuzie who’s on IR with a groin injury. Jarvis Brownlee shined against the Colts last week, but got picked on by Allen particularly when they could get Dalton Kincaid against him. Darrell Baker seemed to fare better. Linebackers in coverage had issues too.

The Titans countered that with a turnover on downs, a punt, a punt, a punt, and interception and the end of the game.

I don’t believe there was a path to winning. But after three plays from scrimmage in the second half, Brian Callahan made it easy for the Bills to get going. After the Titans lost a yard on third-and-1, the faced fourth-and-2 from their own 44.

Up 10-0 a punt seemed safe, but Callahan called a Tony Pollard run up the middle. He was swarmed by DeWayne Carter and Taylor Rapp for a 3-yard loss. Six plays later, Amari Cooper, traded to the Bills by the Browns earlier in the week, was in the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown pass and the course of the game had changed.

“We were pretty good in that third-down range, that two to five range, at that point, we were running the ball well coming out of the half,” Callahan said. “I thought we had a good chance to be able to get that. Had two runs there in a row and didn’t get any yards at all. 

“That was really the reason, I thought we had a chance to get the yard or two that we needed. It was a fringe ‘go’ for us and sort of a dealer’s choice at that point. It felt like our conversion percentage up to that point in the first half and our ability to run the ball was in our favor, so we took an aggressive approach and tried to go get it and we didn’t get it.”

On eight first-half plays where they Titans needed 3 yards or fewer, they converted six of eight. But five were by pass and one was by penalty. They ran twice, converting once, and seeing Julkois Chestnut lose a yard once. So yes, the conversion percentage was in their favor and they averaged 5.1 yards a carry in the first half. But there was no real short-yard running sample to base a “go” on.

Also, Callahan had turned away a fourth-and-3 from the Buffalo 7 in the first quarter, taking a field goal instead.

He gave away a chance at 4 additional points with the first decision, and with the miss made for an easy 7 points for the Bills. I know you aren’t supposed to judge the go/ no-go fourth-down decisions based on what happens after them, but there are 11 points on or off the ledger as a result of Callahan’s calls.

“We scored 10 points,” Callahan said. “It’s hard to get excited about that.”

Calvin Ridley kept up his catch percentage, collecting three of nine targets. He dropped at least one and slowed on lowered his hands on a deep ball where it seemed like he had a chance. On another from Mason Rudolph the ball was outside and he went inside. 

I described each to him after the game and he was puzzled.

“I don’t know which one,” he said. “Didn’t get it.”

Callahan, who I am not defending, took blame for the failure of Rudolph and Ridley to connect. But the common denominator here, with Rudolph replacing Levis (shoulder), is Ridley.

“Yeah, trash, not good,” Ridley said speaking broadly. Then asked about the second half he turned again to practice. “Just trying to figure it out right now. Just got to hit the field get better with my teammates and get better. That’s it. There ain’t nothing to it.”

The Bills' final score came on a 16-yard run by Ray Davis.

He took a handoff and ran through Brownlee, Kenneth Murray and Quandre Diggs to the left corner of the end zone.

Those guys and the Titans who weren't in range but watched looked defeated and helpless. Afterward Diggs said it normal and fine to be frustrated. He's right, of course.

It's a feeling the Titans probably ought to get used to if they aren't there already.