The Titans walked into last week looking sharp in their Houston Oilers throwback look. The football, though, was another story entirely.
What Tennessee put on the field was ugly from start to finish. The offense was a mess, and the numbers back it up: third worst in yards per play, worst in yards per passing attempt, and worst in yards per completion. They did manage to rank ninth in yards per rushing attempt, but that came with a catch - they had the fewest rushing attempts, and they ran only the third fewest offensive plays overall.
That’s how you end up losing by 13 to the Jets. For New York, it was a rare kind of win by margin; the Jets now already have a greater margin of victory in wins then they did all of last year combined, when they won three games by a total of 11 points. They hadn’t won by 13 or more points since Week 3 of 2024, when they beat the 3-14 Patriots 24-3.
The whole thing looked a lot like the Jim Mora “diddly poo” rant, right down to the helplessness of it all:
“Well, what happened was, that second game we got our ass kicked... or the second half, we just got our ass totally kicked. We couldn’t do diddly poo offensively.
We couldn’t make a first down. We couldn’t run the ball, we didn’t try to run the ball, we couldn’t complete a pass.
We sucked. The second half, we sucked.
We couldn’t stop the run. Every time they got the ball, they went down and got points.
We got our ass totally kicked in the second half. That’s what it boiled down to.
It was a horseshit performance in the second half. Horseshit.
I’m totally embarrassed and totally ashamed. Coaching we all… coaching did a horrible job.
The players did a horrible job. We got our ass kicked in that second half.
It sucked. It stunk.”
There’s also the quarterback problem, and that’s where the matchup gets even uglier for Tennessee. Jeffrey Simmons caught some heat for saying the Titans defense needs to make Jalen Hurts play quarterback, but he’s right.
The Eagles’ offense is at its best when Hurts can hurt defenses with his legs, so Tennessee’s path is to keep him in the pocket. With Simmons and rookie linebacker Anthony Hill, who had a bit of a breakout against the Jets, the Titans at least have a puncher’s chance there.
The problem is that the same logic applies in reverse. Philadelphia’s easiest route is to force Cam Ward to actually function as a quarterback, and so far that has been a brutal proposition. Among 37 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes since the start of last season, Ward is 7th worst in sack rate, 5th worst in completion percentage, 4th worst in on target percentage, 4th worst in bad pass percentage, 4th worst in adjusted yards per attempt, 2nd worst in yards per completion, 2nd worst in success rate, worst in sack yards, worst in yards per attempt, worst in pass yards per attempt on play action, and worst in TD percentage.
If the Eagles don’t pummel the Titans, something is off.
A couple of college games also stand out on the watch list. At noon, Georgia visits Arkansas, and the Razorbacks are in rough shape already.
One player worth tracking anyway is EDGE Quincy Rhodes, Jr., who was used all over the defensive line last year and came away with 8 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He also landed at 66th on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, where his testing stood out: at 6-6, 277, he bench-pressed 405 pounds, squatted 585, power-cleaned 375, broad-jumped 10-2, vertical-jumped 30 inches and hit 19.97 mph on the GPS.
Later, at 3:30, SMU travels to Louisville, and there’s a name to know there too: SMU tight end Theo Melin Ohrstrom. Howie Roseman likes raw international prospects, and Ohrstrom fits that lane.
The 6-6, 250 fifth-year senior is from Sweden and spent the past four seasons at Texas A&M. He has only 32 career catches, all in the last three years, so he’s still a work in progress even if he’s a little more polished than the international players the Eagles have taken chances on before.
Last week against UC-Davis, he caught two easy touchdowns, which might earn him more run this week.
In Other News...
Eagles Pass Rush Suddenly Has No Excuses After Fangios Callout
Vic Fangio didnt mince words after the Eagles opened the season with a win over Washington, saying the pass rush was too inconsistent and never finished the job with a sack. For a defense built to tilt games at the line of scrimmage, it was the kind of performance that leaves room for concern even in a victory, especially with key edge help still out because of injury and the early schedule already asking more of the front.
Now the focus shifts to Tennessee and rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who took plenty of hits in Week 1, giving Philadelphia a clear chance to be more disruptive. Jalyx Hunt and A.J. Epenesa both acknowledged the group has to be better, and Fangios critique has put the pressure on this rotation to turn a promising opener into something sharper in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Safety Concern Just Got Harder To Ignore For Sunday
The Eagles secondary is looking a little thinner heading into Sundays matchup with the Titans, and the latest roster move only adds to the uncertainty. Philadelphia elevated rookie safety Maximus Pulley, a sign the team is preparing as if it may need another body on the back end with Drew Mukuba questionable because of a knee injury.
Mukubas status is the piece to watch, especially with the Eagles already navigating a practice week that included limited work for Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean, both of whom are expected to play. Philadelphia still has one open roster spot, so the team has some flexibility, but the decision to bring up Pulley suggests the safety situation is now something the Eagles cannot afford to brush aside. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Rookies Suddenly Carry Two Early Concerns Into Titans Game
The Eagles head into Week 2 against the Titans already juggling a couple of rookie-related questions that could shape how they handle the early part of the season. Wide receiver Makai Lemon has been on the field in the first two games, but his production has been limited and quiet, a slow start that appears tied in part to his recovery from injury. For a team trying to settle into a rhythm, that leaves one of its young pass catchers still searching for an opening to make an impact.
The more immediate concern may be up front, where Landon Dickersons move to injured reserve opens the door for rookie Micah Morris to take on a more important backup role. Philadelphia is weighing its options at left guard, and Morris suddenly looks like the kind of depth piece who could be asked to do more sooner than expected. For an offense built on stability in the trenches, his readiness is now part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]