In the wake of Tennessee’s frankly dominant 47-25 win over Green Bay yesterday, most of the reaction has begun with “What’s wrong with the Packers?”
But at least in Nashville, they’re starting to think about what’s right with the Titans, and there’s at least some reason to consider they might be onto something.
“We were going to leave it all on the field,’’ veteran tight end Delanie Walker said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website. “We said we needed to make a statement, and this was a game to make a statement in and I think we did that.
“We felt like we controlled the game.”
Roll that around in your head for a second. It seems counter-intuitive, but that’s exactly what happened to the Packers.
The Titans have scored 35 points or more in three straight games, the first time in franchise history that’s happened. And they’re clicking on a number of fronts, as Marcus Mariota has thrown 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions the last six games to augment an already good running game. And while the Packers are clearly off as an offense, that’s still Aaron Rodgers they kept in check.
“It is a huge stepping stone,’’ Mariota said. “It is getting us in the right direction. There’s still a lot of season left, a lot of things we have to go and accomplish. But hopefully we can use this as momentum for the rest of the year.”
They are still 5-5, so it’s reasonable to look at their achievement with suspicion if not a touch of derision. That’s as many wins as they’ve had the last two seasons combined. And since they live in the AFC South, they have a reasonable chance to turning .500 into a playoff berth.
But perhaps as important as anything, they think they’ve turned the corner and are actually a good team. Maybe they’re right.