Titans 23, Falcons 3: Moments That Mattered

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 on Friday in the preseason opener for both teams.

It was their first preseason victory by 20 points or more under coach Mike Vrabel (nine games). The last time they won by such a margin at this time of year was 2012 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-7 in their second preseason contest.

The defense allowed Atlanta’s offense to cross midfield just twice in 11 possessions. The offense got one touchdown pass each from the two quarterbacks who played, Logan Woodside and Matt Barkley.

Here are some of the moments that mattered most along the way.

Rogers’ return: Chester Rogers returned Atlanta’s second punt of the night 57 yards and set up the game’s first score (a field goal). That came after a 14-yard return on his first opportunity. With 71 on the night, Rogers already has more punt return yards than any Tennessee player has had in an entire preseason since 2012 when Darius Reynaud had 152, including one 85-yard return for a touchdown (he returned two more for touchdowns in the regular season).

Rogers is the most experienced punt returner on the roster and one of several veteran wide receivers battling for roster spots. His best chance is to show he can double as a return man, and he went a long way (literally) in that regard in this game.

Every kick: Kickers Tucker McCann and Sam Ficken each got a chance to show what he could do, which was what coach Mike Vrabel wanted. Officially, McCann was 2-for-2 on field goals but he also made one from 47 yards that was negated by a roughing the kicker penalty. Ficken made his only field goal attempt (44 yards) and both PATs he tried. Each also kicked off three times, and both got two of their three to the goal line or beyond.

The battle to be the placekicker remains one of the most scrutinized and discussed aspects of the preseason. This game did nothing to establish a clear-cut leader because both were good, which is the best-case scenario.

Evans’ injury: Darrynton Evans returned the opening kickoff 20 yards and started with the offense in what was expected to be a big night for the second-year running back. Things looked particularly good when he ran for 15 yards on the offense’s first snap. Things turned, however, when he pulled up at the end of a 3-yard run with 6:07 to play in the first quarter. He spent the rest of the night on the sideline.

Few players on the roster need a good preseason more than Evans, who battled injuries throughout most of his rookie year. This was not what he needed.

Bowen’s blitz: The first official third-down play of the night for the defense was a third-and-14 from the Atlanta 13. New defensive coordinator Shane Bowen brought a heavy blitz that forced Falcons quarterback A.J. McCarron to throw away the ball. When all was said and done, Atlanta converted just two of 12 third-down opportunities and the defense registered five sacks and nine quarterback hits.

That first blitz seemed to be a clear message that after last year’s disastrous performance on third down, Bowen has no intention of letting quarterbacks take their time and try to pick apart the secondary in those situations.

Kinsey’s first catch: Wide receiver Mason Kinsey caught a pass for a 15-yard gain on fourth-and-6 with a little more than six minutes to play in the first half. That sent him on his way to becoming the game’s leading receiver with four receptions for 51 yards. He was only targeted four times, and he caught two passes each from both quarterbacks. Three of the four catches went for first downs.

Because he played at Division III Berry College and did not have a preseason last year, Kinsey is one of the bigger mysteries among the 90-man camp roster. His ability to deliver – and in critical situations – was a big first step for a guy from a little school.

Barkley’s botched snap: Tennessee’s first drive of the second half ended when running back Brian Hill was stopped for no gain on third-and-1 from the 30. The play never really had a chance because center Cole Barnwart and quarterback Matt Barkley did not execute the snap, and Barkley was charged with a fumble on the play before he got the ball in Hill’s hands.

Quarterback-center exchanges have been something of a recurring theme throughout training camp practices, and now it showed up in the game as well.

Long’s pick: Linebacker David Long ended an Atlanta possession early in the second quarter when he dropped deep into coverage and intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Chris Rowland. It was the only takeaway for either team.

Even more so than the issues with the snaps, interceptions have been a regular part of training camp practice sessions. Almost daily, someone on the defense has ended up with a pass – or passes – in their hands. This was exactly the sort of thing that coaches wanted to see transfer from workouts to the games.

Forristall’s TD: The final points of the night came on a 12-yard touchdown reception by undrafted rookie tight end Morris Forristall. He was one of three Titans players who was targeted four times (Kinsey and wide receiver Fred Brown were the others) and he finished with three receptions for 20 yards and that touchdown.

Management has added a couple tight ends since the start of camp, but those guys have been blocking specialists. There is an opportunity to someone to emerge as the understudy to Anthony Firkser as a receiving threat at that position, and Forristall served notice that he is worth considering in that regard.

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