Tannehill Took Care of the Touchdowns

He did not offer much, but he reflected a little bit.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, when asked earlier this week if being traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Tennessee Titans in March 2019 was the best thing for him, said, “Probably so. ...I think everything happens for a reason and it definitely worked out for me.”

By now, it’s clear how well it worked out. After taking over as the starting quarterback in the middle of last season, Tannehill played a big role in the Titans’ run to the AFC Championship game last winter. And the organization rewarded him for it with a four-year, $118-million contract extension.

By now, it’s clear that the Titans’ decision has paid off. On Sunday, Tannehill rewarded them (again) and reminded everyone how far he has come since he arrived in Nashville as a backup.

In a convincing 46-25 victory over the Detroit Lions at Nissan Stadium, Tannehill accounted for a career-high five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. He became the first player in franchise history to have such a performance and the fifth league-wide since 2010. Since data has been collected, only 16 quarterbacks in total have thrown for at least three touchdowns and rushed for at least two in a game.

“It was a fun day. Our guys played good,” he said. “We fed off each other, had good energy the whole day. Played some complementary football there in the second half, end of the first half, second half, which was huge. And did some good things. So, we just got to keep on that path, keep trying to improve and sticking with what we're good at.”

Tannehill completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 273 yards for a rating of 145.8. Tannehill has had a quarterback rating of at least 100.0 in a franchise-record 11 straight contests. He ran three times and picked up 21 yards, most of which came on his ground trips to the end zone.

The dominance started early. With the game tied 7-7 late in the first quarter, Tannehill found Corey Davis, who beat a Lions defender on a go route, for a 75-yard touchdown. It was Tannehill’s longest completion of the season and tied for the third longest of his career. The play call, Tannehill said, was one that had been in the works for weeks.

“Obviously, (Davis) did a great job of winning there,” he said. “He was, I don't know, 10 yards away when I threw it. That's one of those you see how much space there is, and you just want to put the ball on him and keep him running and don't miss.”

On the next possession, in the second quarter, running back Derrick Henry charged down the field for 46 yards on five carries. While Tannehill completed one pass for seven yards on the drive, he capped it off with a 17-yard touchdown run and much to coach Mike Vrabel’s demise, dove for the pylon in the process.

“I got to the sideline, and there wasn't a ‘Congratulations,’ or ‘Good job.’ It was a scowl (from Vrabel). I knew that was coming,” Tannehill said. “As soon as I reached the ball, I knew that was coming. We talked about being careful reaching the ball down around the goal line. I didn't feel like I was going to get hit.”

The Titans tacked on a field goal before halftime and led 24-15 at the break. Tennessee did not score in the third quarter but reached the end zone on three of its four possessions in the fourth.

To finish a nine-play, 83-yard drive that started in the third quarter, Tannehill scored on a quarterback option play two plays into the fourth quarter. Henry found the end zone for the two-point conversion. On the next drive, Tannehill connected with A.J. Brown for a two-yard touchdown -- the 10th time the duo has hooked up for a score this season. To finish the day, Tannehill lofted a three-yard screen pass to rookie Darrynton Evans, who found the end zone for the first time in his career.

Tannehill has 31 passing touchdowns on the season. He became the first quarterback in the Titans era (1999-present) with 30 or more in a single season. In Oilers/Titans history, he trails only 1961 George Blanda (36 touchdowns) and 1990 Warren Moon (33 touchdowns) in single-season passing touchdowns. He has four rushing touchdowns on the season and with his two on Sunday, he tied a single-game high.

The 2019 Pro Bowler has completed 286 of 430 pass attempts for 3,482 yards this season. He needs just 90 yards to pass 2011 Matt Hasselbeck for first all-time on the Titans’ passing yards list. And with a few big performances down the stretch, he could notch his third career 4,000-yard passing season (first with the Titans).

With two games left, Tannehill knows that there are more important things to chase. The Titans (10-4) still have work to do to clinch the AFC South. Sunday was just another step in the right direction.

It also served as a reminder of how this Titans offense is not one-dimensional. It can strike in many different ways.

“Obviously, (Henry) does his thing,” he said. “He's going to gain his yards and we're able to play off that in the pass game. Or we're not going to do play actions, we can drop back and gain yards that way. I think we've shown that throughout the year. Really just happy and thankful for the guys that we have. That way we can spread the ball around. You can't really key in on one of the areas of the game or one player. You have to defend the whole field and every aspect that we do out there.”