Two weeks into the Tennessee Titans’ season, the stock report already looks a little different. That’s part of the deal this early: roles shift fast, first impressions get tested, and a 24-20 loss to the Eagles gave a clearer view of where this team is starting to settle.
The result left Tennessee at 0-2, and there’s no dressing that up. Still, the game also offered a few real signs of movement on both sides of the ball - some encouraging, some not so much.
Start with Calvin Ridley. The expensive offseason addition still hasn’t looked like the Titans’ top wideout through two games.
He opened the year with a solid, team-leading showing during an offense-starved Week 1, but against Philadelphia, the arrow pointed the other way. Ridley finished with one catch for nine yards on one target, and he was surpassed in the passing game by Carnell Tate, Elic Ayomanor, Gunnar Helm, Tyjae Spears, and even fellow receiver Calvin Ridley.
His spot in the offense isn’t disappearing, but this was a clear step back and a reminder that his grip on WR1 status is not nearly as firm as Tennessee would like. If Cam Ward keeps developing, that could change.
Ayomanor, meanwhile, keeps making the kind of plays that force coaches to notice. After hauling in Ward’s only touchdown pass last week, the second-year receiver led Tennessee’s pass-catching group against the Eagles with two grabs for 69 yards.
His best moment came on a fourth-quarter catch when he went up and over Philly S Marcus Epps. The Titans would lose shortly after, but Ayomanor still came out of the game looking like one of the biggest risers on the roster.
Robert Saleh even praised him after the game, saying he wished Ward had delivered a better ball on what was an open look in the end zone earlier in the contest. Ayomanor played 53% of the team’s snaps, and it would not be surprising to see him move into a bigger starting role soon, especially with the chemistry he’s already building with Ward.
On defense, Jermaine Johnson had a quieter afternoon than Tennessee needed. The Titans did get to Jalen Hurts three times, but Johnson was not the driving force behind that pressure.
He finished with two tackles and four pressures, which is respectable enough on the surface, but through two weeks his pass rush production has lagged badly. A chart posted on X from Shaun Newkirk underscored just how rough the early returns have been, with Johnson carrying one of the league’s worst pass rush win rates.
While other defenders - including Jacob Martin - have moved in the right direction, Johnson has gone the other way and needs a strong showing against the New York Giants to keep his place in the pass rush conversation.
Martin, for his part, earned a boost. He finished with six pressures against Philadelphia, second on the team behind Jeffery Simmons’ seven, and added one of Tennessee’s three sacks.
He could have had another if Hurts hadn’t thrown the ball away in the fourth quarter on a play that looked close to intentional grounding. Even without the extra finish, Martin consistently disrupted the pocket and picked up his first sack of the season.
For a journeyman defensive end, that’s the kind of performance that can start to change a role.
In Other News...
Titans Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious After This Missed Call
Week 2 left Titans fans with plenty to debate, and one sequence in particular has lingered since the final whistle. With Jacob Martin getting pressure on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles quarterback appearing to throw the ball away, the play looked for a moment like it should have drawn an intentional grounding penalty. Instead, the flags stayed in the officials pockets, and Philadelphia kept moving.
For Tennessee supporters, that missed call has only sharpened the frustration around an 0-2 start. It was the kind of moment that can swing a drive and, in a tight NFL game, shape the outcome as much as anything else. The Eagles went on to win, and Titans fans are still left wondering how different things might have looked if that one call had gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Saw One More Sign This Team Still Isnt Serious
A familiar bit of pregame theater showed up again before the Titans took on the Eagles, with Julius Chestnut arriving in a Green Goblin costume as part of a tradition that has already rubbed some fans the wrong way. For a team trying to build credibility early in the season, it was the kind of sideline detail that stands out even more when the football itself is going poorly, and Tennessees start has only sharpened the scrutiny around everything surrounding the locker room.
Chestnuts role remains a small one on the field, and the costume only added to the sense among some observers that the Titans are not projecting the kind of seriousness fans want to see. The loss to Philadelphia left Tennessee at 0-2, and with the results going the wrong way, even harmless pregame pageantry can start to feel like another symbol of a team still searching for the right tone. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Let Another Winnable Game Slip And Saleh Didnt Soften It
The Titans had a chance to land an early-season statement at home in Week 2, but instead watched a close game against the Eagles slip away in a 24-20 loss. It was the kind of result that tends to linger, because Tennessee did enough to stay in position and still came away empty after leaving too many opportunities on the field.
Robert Saleh didnt try to dress it up afterward, making clear that close losses do not count for anything in the NFL. His message centered on execution, and on the frustration that comes with knowing a winnable game was there for the taking. For a Titans team trying to build momentum, the bigger concern now is not just the defeat itself, but how quickly it can turn those missed chances into something cleaner next time. [Read more 🡒]