Wide Receivers Silence Critics for a Day

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine sets career-highs against the Denver Broncos, paces a productive day from a position group that was shut out a week earlier.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

NASHVILLE – When he attended the Tennessee Titans’ chapel service on Saturday night, wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was struck by one bit of advice in particular:

If you live by the praise of man, you’ll die by the criticism.

“That hit me last night and I really felt like we carried that into today – not worrying about what people say,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “They can say whatever they want. We've just got to be ourselves.”

Westbrook-Ikhine and his fellow wide receivers came under plenty of criticism one week earlier when they failed to catch any of the five passes thrown their way. It marked just the fourth time in the last 20 seasons an NFL team had gone through a game without a wide receiver-reception, per ESPN Stats and Info.

Westbrook-Ikhiine probably didn’t do himself any favors after the Kansas City game either, when he suggested that was the first game the wide receivers had struggled this season. After all, the Titans entered that contest with the NFL's fewest combined receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches from wide receivers.

But the third-year player answered critics of his position group in a big way during Sunday’s 17-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. He had the best statistical day of his career with five receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

It not only was the Titans’ first 100-yard receiving effort of the season, but tripled the touchdown output of that position group. Robert Woods had been the only other wide receiver to catch a touchdown pass, and that occurred in Week 4 against Indianapolis.

Treylon Burks and Woods chipped in with a combined five catches for 34 yards, giving the Titans wide receivers 10 catches and 153 yards more than they’d posted against the Chiefs.

“Our mindset was just be us, be pros, handle ourselves like pros, ignore all the outside noise,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “That’s all we can do. That’s what our job is. That’s our job description. That’s what we came to do.”

It was Westbrook-Ikhine who helped jump-start a sluggish offense late in the first half, when the Titans were trailing 10-0.

A 16-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill to Westbrook-Ikhine produced one first down, and a 6-yard pass over the middle produced another – setting the Titans up at the Denver 35-yard line.

Six plays later, Westbrook-Ikhine beat the Broncos’ cover-zero scheme to the back corner of the end zone, then outbattled Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain for the catch and tapped his toes down for a touchdown.

“That was another one similar to practice,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “We had a rep just like that. I was able to run a route to the back pylon. Ryan delivered the exact same ball he did in practice, so I had full confidence in making that play.”

Westbrook-Ikhine’s second touchdown was a splash play.

On first-and-10 at the Titans’ 37 midway through the third quarter, Tannehill found Westbrook-Ikhine streaking down the right sideline wide open. A flea-flicker – Tannehill had handed the ball to Derrick Henry and Henry had pitched it back to Tannehill – had completely fooled the Broncos’ defense.

Westbrook-Ikhine couldn’t have asked for more time to focus on the football flying his way.

“Sometimes the wide-open ones you think a little bit too much,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “Ryan delivered a great ball and the line had great protection on both those (touchdowns).

“I feel like there was at least three or four times we walked through (that play) or jogged through it in practice, and we executed it exactly how we needed it. It was great.”

A receiver often praised for his blocking ability, Westbrook-Ikhine entered Sunday’s contest with just seven catches for 138 yards through the season’s first eight games.

After nearly doubling his yardage total in one game, who knows what might be next for Westbrook-Ikhine and the rest of the receiving corps?

“It’s huge,” Tannehill said. “You want to start stacking good performances. Those guys were doing a good job all game. They hung with me and started making plays there when I got them the ball as the game went on. So a lot of good things to stack and build on from that group.”