Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports
Burks' First TD Catch Ends With Injury
The primary subplot of Sunday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles did not get a chance to play out as expected.
Treylon Burks, the Titans’ rookie wide receiver who was drafted as a replacement to A.J. Brown, was forced from the contest when he sustained a concussion on a touchdown reception with 2:57 to play in the first quarter.
With that, the chance to measure the two big, physical receivers against one another vanished. Brown went on to a big day that helped the Eagles defeat the Titans 35-10 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Burks, the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft, took a hit to the head and – based on the reaction of teammates – appeared to be briefly rendered unconscious when he leaped and pulled in quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s 25-yard pass. After trainers tended to him for several minutes, he walked to the sideline on his own and then went to the locker room for evaluation.
"The first thing when I saw him in the locker room at halftime, he said, 'I wasn't going to let that ball go,'" quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "That just tells you a lot about the kind of guy he is and the competitor he is."
Shortly after halftime, he officially was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
"I think he's doing OK," from what I've seen and when I was able to see him at halftime and talk to him after the game," coach Mike Vrabel said following the contest.
Safety Marcus Epps was called for unnecessary roughness on the play.
It was the first touchdown reception of Burks’ career – in his eighth game. He scored his first touchdown of any kind a week earlier when he recovered a fumble in the end zone against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was also Burks’ only reception of the contest, and it capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive that tied the score 7-7. The Eagles had taken an early lead when DeVonta Smith ended the game’s opening possession with a 34-yard touchdown catch.
The play was one of only two by the Titans' offense that went for more than 20 yards, and made it three games in a row that Burks had at least one reception of 25 yards or more.
For Tennessee, only tight end Chig Okonkwo finished the day with more receiving yards. The rookie had 68 yards on four catches, including a 41-yard reception – the longest play by either team – midway through the second quarter.
"We expect that from Treylon because I know what he's capable of," Vrabel said.
Burks came into the day as the Titans’ second-leading receiver with 24 catches for 334 yards and was playing his best football to date. He had 14 receptions for 205 yards in the previous three games after his return from a turf toe injury that sidelined him for four contests.
The contest was the first between Tennessee (7-4) and Philadelphia (10-1) since the Titans traded Brown, their leading receiver each of the previous three seasons, to the Eagles during the opening day of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tennessee used a pick acquired in that deal to select Burks.
Brown had the game’s first reception, a 7-yard gain on the second snap after kickoff. He answered Burks' touchdown with one of his own – a 41-yard reception – a short time later and finished with game-highs of eight receptions, 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The Titans began without one of their regular wide receivers, Cody Hollister, who was sidelined by a neck injury. Minus Burks for most of the afternoon, they were left with Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and return man C.J. Board at that spot. Those three combined for 16 yards on three receptions (one each).
"Obviously, losing Treylon is a blow," Tannehill said. "And the shuffling we had to personnel-wise and everything else just makes it tough. Anytime you lose one of your top guys, it makes it more difficult."
Burks is now in the NFL's concussion protocol, which means he likely will be unavailable for some or all of this week's practices. His status for next Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium almost certainly won't be determined until later in the week.
