George Walker IV / USA Today Network
Tannehill 'Worked Extremely Hard' Before Missing Second Game
NASHVILLE – The biggest question for the Tennessee Titans over the last two weeks will remain as the team readies for the Denver Broncos this Sunday:
Who will be the starting quarterback?
Ryan Tannehill missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle on Sunday, an injury he sustained in a 19-10 victory over Indianapolis on Oct. 23. The Titans have gone 1-1 with rookie Malik Willis playing in Tannehill's place the last two weeks, but he has completed a combined 11-of-26 passes for 135 yards and one interception in those two contests.
Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that Tannehill has progressed in his recovery. The 10-year veteran did practice on a limited basis twice last week. Tannehill also did some light warm-up drills on the field at Arrowhead Stadium before Sunday night’s loss at Kansas City.
“He worked extremely hard to try to get into a position to play in the football game,” Vrabel said. “I’ll go through this with all the injuries (to players). Can they reasonably do their job up to the expectations we have? Can they protect themselves out there? Can they make it worse? So I wasn’t able to answer all those questions for him to be able to play in the game.”
Willis got off to a strong start in the first half against the Chiefs, completing three of his first six passes for 82 yards. Included in that total were a 48-yard catch-and-run by tight end Chig Okonkwo and an 18-yard pass to tight end Austin Hooper.
But Willis and the offense struggled after halftime when the 2022 third-round pick completed two of 10 passes for minus-2 yards.
Vrabel said he saw less hesitation in the pocket overall from Willis, an issue that had troubled Willis in his first game against the Texans.
He also praised a Willis throw that wound up an incompletion, a mid-range crossing route to Okonkwo in the second half.
“I thought that he was more decisive,” Vrabel said. “I think there were some things that could obviously have been better. But I thought he tried to flatten Chig out (with the pass). Just got to get Chig on the same page as Malik. He threw it in a spot that was going to be Chig or nobody on the over route. So there were times he was putting the ball where we wanted it and we just have to be more consistent.”
Vrabel also liked Willis’ 16-yard completion to Hooper early in the second quarter, a play that saw Willis avoid heavy pressure on his right and still manage to hit Hooper near the sideline.
“The throw to Hoop on the move, that was a fantastic throw,” Vrabel said. “It’s an unbelievable play.”
