One Quarter Figures Heavily in Titans' Success
Want to know what makes the Tennessee Titans a first-rate team?
Start with the second quarter.
The Titans scored 167 points in the 15 minutes before halftime and 55 more than they allowed. In both cases, that is the second-best figure in the league. Only Green Bay, with 172 points, and New England, with plus-66 point differential, were better, respectively.
That might not sound significant given that there are four quarters in a contest and that the Titans outscored the opposition in three of them. Or that they won four times this season when they trailed at halftime. Or that Ryan Tannehill directed three fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives. Or that Randy Bullock had a career-high three game-winning field goals.
Yet consider this fact, courtesy of The33rdTeam.com: In 2020, the team that scored more points in the second quarter won 73.53 percent of the time. In the other three quarters, the higher scoring team won fewer than 66 percent of the time.
With that in mind, take a closer look at the Titans in the second quarter of 2021 (some stats via TruMedia):
• They scored more than 10 points in any quarter 11 times this season. More than half (six) of those were in the second.
• They were one of four teams to score 21 points or more in the second quarter of more than one game and one of four teams with a turnover margin of plus-2 or better in more than one game.
• In their six-game win streak, which included victories over five of last year’s playoff teams, they outscored the opponent five times and tied with the other (Buffalo). In those games, they had an overall edge of 92-33.
• The offense had 65 first downs, which were at least 21 more than in any other quarter. That unit also averaged 6.1 yards per play, more than one full yard better than in any other quarter.
• The defense allowed fewer rushing yards (339) than any team other than Baltimore and an average of 3.8 yards per rush, a half a yard better than in the first quarter. Plus, Tennessee was one of 10 teams with at least 12 second-quarter sacks.
• Tannehill was one of six quarterbacks who averaged better than eight yards per attempt in the second quarter. His 8.06 was easily his best in any quarter well above his season average of 7.0. His nine touchdown passes were as many as he had in the third and fourth quarters combined, and his passer rating of 108.6 was more than 20 points higher than what he had in any other quarter.
Winning the second quarter is not a sure-fire formula for success – but it’s close. The Titans went 8-1 this season when they did so. The exception as the New England game when they had a 13-9 edge but were outscored 20-0 after halftime.
Plus, it seems to have been a point of emphasis.
Under coach Mike Vrabel, the Titans consistently have improved their second-quarter performance. Their point total has gone from 58 in 2018 to 77 to 144 to this year’s 167. The point differential went from minus-47 in 2018 to minus-22 then plus-1 and the current plus-55.
This season’s second-quarter point total is the franchise’s highest of the Titans era (1999-present) and the point differential is second only to 2002 (plus-66), a season that ended with a loss in the AFC Championship. Likewise, their 1,827 total yards and seven takeaways are high-water marks for the Vrabel era.
Many have considered Tennessee a slow-starting team because it has fewer points in the first quarter than in any of the other three and scored on its opening drive just three times, half as many as the opposition.
The fact is, though, the Titans effectively made quick work of plenty of games with their proficiency in the second quarter.
