Tennessee Titans OT Win over Los Angeles Chargers a Testament to Mike Vrabel: 'Great Example of Complementary Football'
The Tennessee Titans were the lesser team on paper when they took on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. So much so, that the Titans were actually underdogs at home. It is in those moments when the coaching advantage Mike Vrabel offers each week shows up the most.
Vrabel puts an emphasis on situational football and complementary football. You can practice your plays all you want, but if you can't handle or aren't ready for the pressure-packed situations that pop up during a game on all three units, you will not win. Vrabel's teams are always prepared.
We saw that play out on Sunday in a number of circumstances. The Titans' offense was able to execute the "double up," scoring before halftime with a Nick Folk kick and then again when they got the ball out of halftime. This time with a Ryan Tannehill touchdown run.
It was a key situation that the Titans were ready for and with that preparation, they were able to execute at the highest level. That "double up" took them from being down 14-7, to leading 17-14. It also gave the Titans' defense that had been dealing with an explosive Chargers offense all day, a long time to rest and prepare for the second half.
We also saw excellent situational football from the Titans at the end of regulation into overtime. The Titans' defense got a critical stop in the red zone to hold the Chargers to a field goal and send it into overtime. They followed that up with a big stop to start the overtime period which led to a nice 11-yard return by punt returner Kearis Jackson.
If you go back and watch the Chargers' overtime drive on offense, they are entirely discombobulated. The Chargers ran three plays and gained zero yards. A few of their plays featured players looking totally confused and unsure where to go.
That right there is a microcosm of the coaching advantage Vrabel gave the Titans over Brandon Staley, head man for the Chargers. One team was not only prepared, but focused. The other lacked direction.
The Titans' offense on the other hand was excellent. They executed two first-down calls perfectly, a toss to Tyjae Spears and a speed-out to DeAndre Hopkins, both going for 14 yards, that set them up for the game-winning field goal. Just like they practiced all summer.
Vrabel talked about that sequence at his press conference on Monday.
"Great example of complimentary football there in overtime," Vrabel explained. "Three and out, fourth and ten, which now allows us to go with a seven-man lighter box (on the punt return), we can double one of the gunners. All week we knew how important just catching these punts from (JK) Scott was going to be. Unbelievable hang time and the sun. I told the team I said you guys are more than welcome to apply for that job on Sunday."
"Just a great example of complimentary football, three and out, fourth and ten, ten yards on the punt return and then the offense doing what they needed. Then the kicking unit going out there and doing what they needed to do to win the football game."
On top of the complimentary football and situational preparedness, Vrabel's team committed zero turnovers on offense. The Titans committed seven penalties, three more than the Chargers, but the Titans only had two more penalty yards. The Chargers made big penalty mistakes on critical downs that extended Titans' drives on offense.
While it is tough to see the value of coaching without being in practice everyday, Vrabel's impact was on full display on Sunday and hearing him preach the things that won them this game for years now only drives that home.
Mike Vrabel will win you games where other coaches lose them.
Related Titans-Chargers stories
- KELLY'S CREATIVE OFFENSE: The Tennessee Titans new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has been tremendous through the first two weeks of the season and his ability to create big plays and get the Titans points was on display against the Los Angeles Chargers. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 2 DEFENSIVE GRADES: The Tennessee Titans defense took on a talented Los Angeles Charger offense on Sunday and while it wasn't always pretty, the defense got the job done and we saw that reflected in the player grades for Week 2. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 2 OFFENSIVE GRADES: The Tennessee Titans got a big overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers and saw some excellent performances on offense, led by a brilliant game from quarterback Ryan Tannehill. CLICK HERE
