Game balls: Titans 24, Falcons 10

Corey Davis finally shows up; Jurrell Casey shows out and Brett Kern shows the value of a well-placed punt

Some of the Tennessee Titans’ biggest names delivered some of the biggest moments in Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That has not always been the case this season, which had something to do with the fact that the Titans lost two of their first three contests.

When the best players play their best, however, the whole operation looks better. With that in mind, we award this week’s game balls.

Offense: Corey Davis, wide receiver. Last season’s leading receiver seemed like an afterthought through the first three weeks of 2019. In this one he reminded everyone just what a difference-maker he can be. Tennessee’s offense had nine gains of 14 yards or more and Davis (pictured) had five of them – all pass receptions and all went for either a first down or a touchdown. Three were on first down, two were on third down and they were spread out over the first three quarters. The most notable was a 16-yard catch-and-run on third-and-16 that got the offense moving toward what turned out to be the touchdown that put the Titans ahead to stay.

In three games before Sunday, Davis had six catches for 82 yards. Sunday, he had a team-high five receptions for 91 yards.

Defense: Jurrell Casey, defensive line. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees often talks about the fact that his scheme does not offer defensive linemen many opportunities to post big statistical performance. Nonetheless, Casey was impossible to ignore against the Falcons, when he was credited with four tackles, his first quarterback sack of the season (he had seven pressures in the first three games) and a forced fumble, which he recovered. It was the fourth fumble recovery of his career but the second in his last six games.

Tennessee is 4-0 all-time when he recovers a fumble. Anytime he stands out, though, the chances of winning rise dramatically.

Special teams: Brett Kern, punter. The two-time Pro Bowler has been a strong candidate for this recognition in every game thus far. In this one, he was the only choice. His five punts averaged 45 yards and all five ended with the Falcons starting a drive inside their own 20 (four at or inside the 10-yard line). Three went out of bounds, one was downed and one was returned two yards for a net punting average of 44.6 yards, his best of the season.

Of the five Atlanta drives that started after a Tennessee punt, three did ended before the Falcons got to their own 25, one crossed midfield on one and none resulted in points.