Fast Start Wasted in Loss to Giants

NASHVILLE – The finish left a lot to be desired.

But that start. It was the best the Tennessee Titans have had in five years under coach Mike Vrabel, but it ultimately was not good enough in a 21-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

After the Titans won the coin toss and deferred their option to the second half, they got the season underway with a kickoff that gave New York possession at its own 22.

Three plays and nine yards later, the Giants punted. It was the first time under Vrabel that Tennessee’s defense started with a three-and-out. Two of the previous four Week 1 opponents put points on the board right out of the gates. All four got at least one first down on their initial possession.

A look:

Year	Opponent	Plays	Yards	Result
2019	at Miami	4	21	Punt
2020	at Cleveland	8	73	Touchdown
2021	at Denver	5	26	Punt
2022	vs. Arizona	8	45	Field goal

Things got even better when Kyle Philips’ 46-yard punt return set up the offense at the New York 45. That was the best starting field position for the season’s first offensive possession in five tries under Vrabel. The previous best was the Titans’ own 35 back in 2018 at Miami, Vrabel’s first game as head coach.

From there, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the rest of the offense needed just five plays to get to the end zone and take a 7-0 lead. The drive ended with Dontrell Hillard’s 7-yard touchdown reception.

It was the first time under Vrabel that the Titans’ offense scored a touchdown on its first possession. The previous four years included just two field field goals right out of the gate.

A look:

Year	Opponent	Plays	Yards	Result
2018	at Miami	9	37	Field goal
2019	at Cleveland	7	73	Field goal
2020	at Denver	6	28	Punt
2021	vs. Arizona	3	0	Punt

Add to that the fact that Hilliard’s catch (the first touchdown reception of his career) was the first first-quarter touchdown – period – that the Titans have scored in Week 1 under Vrabel, and it becomes difficult to say that things could have gone any better from the get-go.

Tennessee led 13-0 at halftime but eventually faded as each of the units that got off on the right foot later stumbled. The final misstep was kicker Randy Bullock's 47-yard game-winning field goal attempt that missed to the left as time expired.

"Got started how we want to," Vrabel said. "... They hit some big plays. We weren't able to convert in the red zone. Defensively, we just couldn't stop the run – number-one key to the game.

"That's why you lose. Not because you miss a field goal at the end of the game."

After halftime, the Giants had three plays of more than 30 yards, including a 68-yard run and a 65-yard touchdown pass that tied things at 13-13. With 1:06 to play, they converted a go-ahead two-point conversion rather than play for a tie. Their defense forced three three-and-outs in its first four tries, and their special teams recovered a muffed punt by Philips. Bulluck's miss capped the proceedings.

All of the areas that were so good at the outset contributed to the collapse.

Never had a season-opener started so well. Yet it turned out not to be the beginning they wanted.

"Losing sucks, no matter when it happens," Tannehill said. "You never want to start off the season on the wrong foot, especially at home in front of our own fans.

"We have to turn the page quickly, though. It's a long season. It's one game, and we have to keep that mentality to take a real look at what happened, get it fixed quickly and turn the page to get ready to go for next week."

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