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The Titans fans are ticked off after their latest loss to the 49ers. At 8-6 they have no margin for error but must win out in order to get a sniff at the playoffs. The Rams will be facing a desperate team that has lost two in a row and is 5-1 in their house. They've beaten the Jaguars and Seahawks so this team is no push0ver.
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Six Hot Topics From Presser with Titans Coach Mike Mularkey Jim Wyatt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Titans coach Mike Mularkey met with reporters on Monday at Saint Thomas Sports Park, one day after the team’s 25-23 loss to the 49ers.
This Sunday, the Titans will face the Los Angeles Rams at Nissan Stadium.
Here’s a look at six hot topics:
3rd and 2 play
Down 22-20 in the closing minutes, the Titans were faced with a third-and-2 from the San Francisco 32.
A handoff to running back DeMarco Murray was stuffed for no gain, and the Titans kicked a field goal with 1:07 left to take a 23-22 lead. The 49ers, of course, used the extra time to put together a quick drive, and win it with a kick of their own.
After the game, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota said he wished he would’ve checked from a run to a pass to get the first down. On Monday, Mularkey said the same.
But he also said the play called should’ve worked.
“As I stand here (today), yeah I wish he would have,” Mularkey said. “But at the time, no, I thought the play was going to split them and get us a first down and not put us in a negative situation. … We felt like it was a quick hitter.
“The play does come with the ability to get out of it. He does have that right, and I trust his decision-making. He has put us in a lot of good plays.”
Mularkey said the 49ers simply won the play, but the defensive alignment was a favorable run situation for the Titans, he said.
More no-huddle?
Mariota completed 23-of-33 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.8 yards against the 49ers.
He looked especially comfortable working in the no-huddle.
So, will the Titans use more of it moving forward?
“I am into my first game watching the Rams,” Mularkey said. “We’ll know more once we get an idea of how we want to attack their scheme. But that is every week. It is in our discussions, we practice it. … It just depends on who we are playing, the defensive scheme, and if we feel it is a good way to attack, then it will be in.”
While working in the no-huddle, Mariota usually has a framework of plays he can choose from during the game.
Mularkey estimated the Titans ran the no-huddle ¾ of the contest on Sunday.
Communication issues
The Titans allowed 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to complete 31-of-43 passes for 381 yards on Sunday, including a late drive that produced a game-winning field goal.
In the locker room, players blamed communication issues.
Mularkey said the breakdowns came on coverages the team has been using all year.
“It was at the wrong time,” Mularkey said. “Since the Houston game, we have been really good about giving up explosive plays, and yesterday they hurt us.”
Turnovers
The Titans have done a great job generating pressure in recent weeks. The defense now has 40 sacks on the season, which is 10th in the NFL.
But turnovers have been tough to come by, especially of late. Safety Kevin Byard has six interceptions on the season, but the Titans have just 10 as a team. Fumble recoveries have been tough to come by. The Titans are a minus-7 in the takeaway/giveaway category.
“It’s the different between winning and losing every week,” Mularkey said. “It is a big emphasis. We talk about it, and it’s on the board every week. It is a huge emphasis, and we need to start doing it. You can talk all you want about it, put it all over the message board, but we need to start making the plays.”
Mularkey thought linebacker Erik Walden intercepted a pass that was ruled a 49ers catch on Sunday.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson let a catchable pass escape his grasp.
“Great coverage, he just needs to come down with the ball,” Mularkey said. “It was one he should have made.”
Mindset
The Titans have a big challenge coming up on Sunday against the Rams.
The Rams are 10-4, and ranked ninth in the NFL in total offense. The Rams are tied for second in the NFL in scoring.
Mularkey said the Titans need to focus, and play better. A lot is at stake, he said. The Titans control their own playoff destiny – win against the Rams and Jaguars, and they’re in.
“(The players) know where we are at,” he said. “They know we have a great opportunity sitting right in front of us that is very reachable if we come in here the way we’ve come in here, with the mindset of getting a good week’s work of preparation.
“… We need to put 60 minutes of good football together, one game at a time.”
Injuries
Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan (knee) is expected back this week vs. Rams.
Titans cornerback Logan Ryan (ankle) is day-to-day after suffering an injury vs. the 49ers. He’ll be revaluated on Wednesday, Mularkey said.
Rishard Matthews wants predictable Titans to find more creativity
Posted by Charean Williams on December 18, 2017
Getty Images
Titans receiver Rishard Matthews had 24 hours to consider his postgame comments critical of of the team’s offense. Instead of backing down, he doubled down.
Matthews said the Titans are too predictable at times.
“Yes, I believe so,” Matthews said, via Terry McCormick of titansinsider.com.
Matthews wants the Titans have to find more “creativity” in their offense.
“We’ve just got to have some more creativity, study going in to set up matchups week to week,” Matthews said. “We can’t be repetitive and doing the same thing over and over. The guys on the other side get paid too. We’ve just got to do a better job of creating matchups. That’s all it is.”
Matthews is campaigning for the Titans to use the no-huddle offense more often, repeating Monday what he said Sunday after the team’s loss to the 49ers.
“I feel more comfortable with Marcus [Mariota] calling the shots. That’s just what it is right now,” Matthews said “Because anything goes. Marcus is back there reading the defense. You don’t know what he’s going to call, and it’s shown over the time that when he’s doing that we’ve moved the ball pretty well and done it pretty easy. And I like doing it.”
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Less predictable? First start with being less boring. Watching the Titans play football is like watching a wet rock dry
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That smashmouth isn’t lookin so exotic these days
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Maybe they can’t get very creative because Rishard Matthews is their best WR.
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Dullest team in the NFL, bar none.
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I gave Mike the benefit off the doubt, but seeing what the Rams are doing with their new coach makes me sick (for my Titans, not for the Rams. Good on them!). I was willing to wait and see and not be like many Titans fans and call for Mike’s job before the season was out, but it’s getting pretty hard to defend him. The Titans are a game or two away from missing the playoffs after a very promising start. We certainly can’t blame everything on the coach, but if the players are starting to turn on him…
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Why the Titans still control playoff destiny despite two-game losing streak Jason Wolf, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
The Titans still control whether they make the playoffs, despite consecutive road losses to the Cardinals and 49ers.
Win out, and they’re in.
Victories against the Rams (10-4) and Jaguars (10-4) in the final two regular season games at Nissan Stadium would give the Titans a 10-6 record, and ensure they qualify for at least a wild card berth, their first trip to the playoffs since 2008.
The Titans, Ravens and Bills all have 8-6 records and are vying for one of two wild card spots. But the Titans own the head-to-head tiebreaker against Baltimore, on account of their 23-20 victory against the Ravens on Nov. 5 in Nashville.
"We have a chance to still get in the playoffs," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. "We have to win at home with two games that we have. We have to win the first one first, and that'll be all we talk about is winning that one at home, the next one."
Of course, beating the Rams and Jaguars is easier said than done, especially for a group that’s lost two consecutive games to teams with 10 victories combined.
But the Titans have been a far more formidable opponent at home.
They own a 9-1 record in their last 10 games in Nashville.
"We're really good at home," quarterback Marcus Mariota said, "and I know I'm looking forward to being back there."
Winning just one of the final two games would give the Titans a second consecutive winning season, but make their prospects of reaching the postseason far more difficult.
The AFC South title will belong to Jacksonville, should the Jags win a road game against the Niners next weekend, or the Titans lose to the Rams.
Should the Titans defeat the Rams and the Jaguars lose to the 49ers, the Titans and Jags will play for the division title in the regular season finale.
The Titans have a 12.4 percent chance of winning the division and a 69.5 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to MakeNFLPlayoffs.com.
"The mentality, I hope, is to go out there and win these next two," wide receiver Rishard Matthews said. "Practice hard throughout the week and do what you got to do to help this team win. That's our mentality."
WEEK 16: RAMS (10-4) AT TITANS (8-6)
When: Noon, Sunday
TV/radio: FOX / 104.5-FM
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What I hate most about this losing streak is that the fans are not going to show up for either game, despite the importance. It's going to be a half empty stadium for the Rams, and might be even worse for the Jags if the Titans lose.
I will be there for both games, but Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are terrible days to host games when the fanbase has all but given up.
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They will lose the next two and be out...mediocrity, thou art the Titans!
BIGGEST RISERS Kansas City Chiefs (13th to 10th): It turns out a rejuvenated running game and a little bit of Tyreek Hill cures all, and back-to-back wins put the Chiefs’ magic number to clinch the AFC West at 1. So maybe just take that eulogy you were writing, cross out “Chiefs” and put “Titans.”
San Francisco 49ers (23rd to 20th): That’s three in a row since the Garoppolo era began, and four of five overall. Which is pretty good considering this franchise hadn’t won four of five since before California was granted statehood. No, wait; it was 2013. Either way, it had been a while.
BIGGEST FALLER Seattle Seahawks (11th to 17th): The only way that de facto NFC West title game could have gone worse for the Seahawks would have involved some kind of poison gas cloud, or maybe an active volcano erupting directly under the team’s sideline. And now they’re being mean to each other.
#2 Los Angeles Rams: CenturyLink Field currently is in the process of being renamed after Rams star Todd Gurley (180 total yards, four total touchdowns) following the running back’s explosion in L.A.’s 42-7 statement win over the Seahawks.
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#5. Los Angeles Rams
After giving a game away to the Seattle Seahawks back in October, the Los Angeles Rams understood what would happen if they ended up on the losing end for the second time by their division rivals in Week 15. With that being said, nobody could have ever imagined the Rams would end up blowing the Seahawks out the way they did to move even closer to winning the NFC West title.
When looking at all of the success surrounding Seattle being the team to beat in this division over the years, Los Angeles was supposed to be going through a year of rebuilding under Sean McVay since the head coach was taking over a team that won just four games all of last season.
Instead, the Rams have become one of the best surprises from the 2017 season, and not only is Jared Goff showing signs of being the one of the league’s next best quarterbacks, but also Todd Gurley is making a late case for deserving consideration for the MVP award.
Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe how great Gurley played against the Seahawks after rushing for 152 yards to go along with four total touchdowns. Don’t look now, but if the Rams hang on for a trip to the playoffs, this team is going to be tough to stop, especially on offense.
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#5. Los Angeles Rams 10-4
Todd Gurley and the defense are taking over from Jared Goff and the passing game and making Sean McVay's team more complete at the right time. They will be better prepared to face the Eagles or Vikings in possible playoff rematches.
I think Aaron Donald is a compulsive competitor and winner. Under Fisher, I think he was beyond frustrated. So much so that while other guys were saying things like "we failed coach" and "we didn't execute", Donald was pretty quiet. That silence spoke volumes. When it came to the new coach, he had a wait and see attitude.
I have speculated based on a few bits of information and things we've all learned about Aaron Donald that the reason he didn't sign this off-season wasn't about the money. Rather, I think his people insisted on a 3-year opt-out clause because Aaron Donald refused to go out like Steven Jackson and so many other Ram greats who withered on the losing vine. So, yeah, sign the big contract, but if it's still a shitshow 3 years from now, he could opt out and gtfo.
So, when I brought up alternatives to Aaron Donald staying, it's not because I wanted him gone. I'm notoriously stingy regarding paying the NFL for anything and Aaron Donald is one of the few guys whose jersey I'm considering buying (waiting for the new unis). I LOVE this guy, his competitive fire, and insistence on dominating.
But... we all may not have a choice. He may go because he and his advisors insist on that clause (or some other equally disqualifying language to the Rams).
The great news, if I may speculate further, is that AD is willing to listen to the Rams now that we are winning and not just winning, but set up to win for a long time. The entire culture changed in a very short period of time.
When AD came back, he made it clear that he would have no conversations about signing until after the season. I figured he'd play angry, almost resentfully angry all season and then try to force a trade.
But McVay and Wade were WAY better than even the drunkest of us Kool-Aid drinkers could hallucinate. The Rams haven't just won, but dominated. They lost 3 of 4 games in ways that showed we just had to learn how to better deal with scheme, execution and each other. Each loss has made us stronger.
The fact that AD's agents are even ENGAGED with the Rams prior to the end of the season is a FANTASTIC sign.
I think he earned even more money and his cap hit next year is gonna make Drew Brees seem like a bargain, but he'll be a Ram for life.
So, yet another effect, not side-effect, but direct effect of McVay's success is that Aaron Donald may actually sign that long-term contract we all want him to sign.
And if you saw AD out there on Sunday, he was having FUN. He plays angry, but you could tell he wants to keep playing with these guys.
I want this to happen so badly, but this tidbit, if true, is the first sign that AD may actually sign the long-term deal.
And that, my friends, may be an even bigger victory than what just happened in Seattle.
Perhaps this article was already posted in the Celebration thread, but I just wanted to make sure that everyone here had a chance to revel in the exquisite pain of Hawks fans. This article gave me a Schadenboner. (Shout out to Mackeyser)
A day after the the Rams' biggest regular season victory in over a decade and a half against a divisional opponent no less, the sports talk hosts here in Los Angeles are spending more airtime on "Kobe Bryant Day". The Rams' Flagship station is even rebroadcasting some of Kobe's great games. Meanwhile the guy was cheering for the Eagles at the Coliseum when the two teams played. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy basketball but Kobe was the biggest "ball hog" in the history of Laker basketball. It was always about him. And the Rams have to take a back seat to this dude. NFL football is still the nation's #1 sport. What a joke. Well, I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow before we get back to the Rams!
PS--I hope when they uncover his uniform numbers (8 & 24) and install him in the Staples Center Ring of Honor that they mention little affair with another woman in a hotel room while the club was on the road, too.
Shame on him and Shame on the Lakers!! My wife, a Laker fan since she was a kid, switched her allegiance to the Cliippers when the news emerged.
Ironically, the only station that gave more airtime to the Rams' victory was the Mighty 1090, sports station based in San Diego!!
Jared Goff has the potential to post the best touchdown interception ratio in Rams history. Goff is tied with Roman Gabriel for first place at a ratio of 3.4/1 (24 TD/7 Int). Trent Green is in second place with a ratio of 3.2/1 (16 TD/5 Int) and Warner in third at 3.15/1 (41 TD/13 Int). Having such a favorable TD/Int ratio is very Aaron Rodger like. Hats off to Goff.
I have been attempting to think of a comparison from the past 30 years to Goff. I actually see a lot of Tom Brady in him. Accurate passer. Smart decision maker. Poised in the pocket.
I am not saying he will be equivalent to TB12. Just that he has the same attributes.
#2 in sacks
#3 in completion % allowed
#5 in points allowed
#5 in takeaways
#5 in qb rating allowed
#7 in passing yds allowed
#7 in passing yards per attempt
#8 in total first downs allowed
Running
Passing
Scoring
Defending run
Defending pass
Scoring defense
Turnover differential
ST punting
ST kicking
ST return game (Cooper)
ST kick coverage
ST punt coverage
Plus, the Rams are relatively young and healthy right now.
Honestly, this looks like a pretty complete team in multiple facets of the game. When several of these are clicking at the same time, look out! It can become a rout rather quickly.
I’ll say this. I wouldn’t want to play us right now if I were another playoff team. Any playoff team.
I have saw a couple of threads about free agents that we need to bring back and our potential space. (51million)
But i was noticing something when looking at some of the Rams contracts. Gurley will be entering his final year of his contract and will be eligble to negotiate for the first time. With the year he is having is there any worry that he will demand another contract next season that will pay him tob rb money?
The games against Philly and Minnesota were definitely winnable! It unraveled in the 4th quarter against the Vikings and against the Eagles they just needed to finish! I think the Rams defense can destroy the Panthers' offense and the Saints and Falcons are shaky.
Over in the AFC, no team should fear the Patriots. Tom Brady is not looking like his old self. Rams have the better defense. Pittsburgh suddenly has a bad defense with Joe Haden and Ryan Shazier out. They likely going to have a less than 100% Antonio Brown and rely on a rookie (JuJu) and an up and down guy (Martavius Bryant). Rest of the AFC is a bunch of MEH.
Rams have 3 main things going for them....
-Pass rush
-Running game
-Not turnover prone on offense; get turnovers on defense
The long td run has been eluding Todd gurley all year . I jumped off my couch when I seen him turn that corner yesterday . He left 3 defenders on the ground and I can't wait to see what speed he was clocked at.
He is truly a beast, power to run thru tackles and speed to leave defensive backs standing still .
We have the best running back in the nfl and that run showed me that he is healthy and ready to carry the load.
Should be noted that CB Johnson and DE Quinn have been ascending quickly from the 40's. Also, per PFF, this rating portrays Ogletree as one of the worst players in the NFL, so take it for what it's worth:
QB Goff - 78.7 #18 QB
RB Gurley - 89.9 #1 RB
RB Brown - 65.9 NES to be ranked
WR Watkins - 78.3 #32 WR
WR Kupp - 81.0 #20 WR
WR Woods - 81.4 #19 WR
WR Reynolds - 59.0 NES to be ranked
WR Austin - 65.2 NES to be ranked
WR Cooper - 67.2 NES to be ranked
WR Thomas - 51.2 NES to be ranked
TE Everett - 52.9 #39 TE
TE Higbee - 54.5 #35 TE
TE Carrier - 63.7 NES to be ranked
C Sullivan - 71.7 #12 C
C Blythe - 52.9 NES to be ranked
G Saffold - 83.9 #8 G
G Brown - 47.4 #42 G
T Whitworth - 83.4 #8 T
T Havenstein - 75.9 #32 T
T Williams - 64.8 NES to be ranked
CB Webster - 71.6 #76 CB
CB Coleman - 85.4 #17 CB
CB Johnson - 74.7 #63 CB
CB Hill - 76.5 NES to be ranked
CB Hatfield - 45.0 NES to be ranked
CB Peterson - 51.5 NES to be ranked
S Johnson III - 86.3 #10 S
S Joyner - 90.1 #3 S
S Davis - 77.5 #45 S
S Christain - 65.8 NES to be ranked
S Countess - 44.9 NES to be ranked
LB Barron - 69.6 #45 LB
LB Ogletree - 36.3 #89 LB (Total Garbage Ranking)
LB Hager - 72.1 NES to be ranked
LB Littleton - 72.8 NES to be ranked
DL Walker - 55.2 #102 DL
DL Smart - 42.5 #119 DL
DL Brockers - 83.7 #27 DL
DL Donald - 98.7 #1 Entire NFL
DL Westbrooks - 77.9 #59 DL
DL Fox - 63.2 #97 DL
DE Ebukam - 69.6 #80 DE
DE Barwin - 45.4 #110 DE
DE Quinn - 70.8 #71 DE
DE Longacre - 73.8 #63 DE