Notes from Titans -vs- Bills - Offense

The 2 and 4 Tennessee Titans traveled to Buffalo to take on the 3 and 3 Buffalo Bills. Coming off a strong  victory against the ailing Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers win was a big one for the Titans as the team put forth its first balanced effort of the season. The offense finally got on track and Chris Johnson had one of his better games of the season. How did the Titans fare in Buffalo? Let's take a look.

Obviously, the big news is CJ's big day so we might as well begin there. CJ had his best game of the year, racking up 195 yards on 18 rushing attempts for a 10.8 YPC. I know the Bills have the worst run defense in the league but it was still nice to see CJ back in form and running well.

The run I liked best from CJ came late in the 4th quarter with 2:09 left to play. CJ quickly hit the line and then it was off to the races. The run gained 27 yards and put the Titans in a position to win the game. It was all CJ too but one thing I did notice was quarterback Matt Hasselbeck coming in from behind to try and make a block if needed. This kind of team effort can really define a team and the Titans seem to be on the verge of creating that type of special atmosphere. It's nice to see.

Speaking of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, let me just say I love the guy and I am so thankful he is a Titan. Having said that, I really wonder what in the heck we were doing on the last two drives of the game. First there was a delay of game penalty at 10:25 left to play and then we checked down to Nate Washington twice neither of which was enough for a first down forcing the Titans to punt. He almost threw a pick to George Wilson who just let the ball hit him in the chest. It did lead to some fantastic Mike Munchak gif pictures however.

For the record I am not hating on Hasselbeck or Nate Washington, who had just an incredible game and who caught the game winning touchdown pass. I have written before about watching Washington come into his own and this season has shown how much that is true. Washington was the leading receiver against the Bills, finishing the game with 6 receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was just a beautiful thing to watch and not just because it won the game. Also I thought Matt had one of his most efficient games as a Titan, registering only 2 sacks and no interceptions with the 1 touchdown pass. He was 22 of 33 for 205 yards.

Third year wide receiver Damien Williams also had a nice game and was the second leading receiver with 3 catches for 38 yards. While these numbers seem small they were huge in the game when you consider how many rushing yards Chris Johnson racked up.Williams had just a stellar catch at 13:28 left in the 4th quarter to move the chains and keep a drive alive.

Everyone knows I love me some Jared Cook but he has to be better about making the tough catches. This pass at 3:56 in the 4th quarter wasn't particularly well thrown but Cook has to make this catch. That's what really good tight ends do.

Overall, I thought the offensive line did a pretty good job. I was particularly proud of David Stewart for walking away from a tussle and keeping his cool in the 4th quarter.

Finally, Fernando Velasco is fast becoming one of my favorite players. How can you not smile when you see how happy he was after the team victory?

Much love to the Titans offense for finally get back on track. Let's hope the trend continues.