Chiefs vs. Titans: Ryan Tannehill’s quiet productivity and other storylines

Ryan Tannehill has quietly been a productive starter

Ryan Tannehill is an interesting case as far as NFL quarterbacks are concerned. Clearly a talented quarterback in college, throwing for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns in his senior season at Texas A&M, he was the third quarterback off the board following Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Dolphins had just hired Joe Philbin, and Philbin bet his Dolphins’ tenure on Tannehill being the guy.

Tannehill would have every opportunity to deliver, starting every game during Philbin’s tenure with the team. He seemed to improve every season with his best year coming in 2014 where he threw for 4,045 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions. Unfortunately for Philbin, Tannehill’s improvement didn’t translate to the Dolphins record. After three straight years at or below .500, and an abysmal start to the 2015 season, Philbin was relieved of his duties.

Once the Dolphins hired Adam Gase in 2016, Tannehill was never the same. He’d arguably have the two worst years of his career in 2016 and 2018, missing 2017 due to injury, and the Dolphins decided it was time to move on. During the 2019 off season the Dolphins traded Ryan Tannehill and a sixth-round pick to the Titans for a meager return of a seventh-round pick and a future fourth-round pick.

Any expectations for Tannehill’s career had all but disappeared. With the trade to the Titans, he would now likely sit behind Mariota for the remainder of his contract and bounce from team to team after. Fortunately for Tannehill, and unfortunately for Mariota, that no longer looks to be the case. After Mariota struggled mightily to start the season, he was eventually benched and Tannehill was given the reigns. How he’s fared since is somewhat surprising.

In his three starts against the Chargers, Buccaneers, and Panthers, Tannehill is 2-1 and completing 70 percent of his passes for 836 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. If you stretched that production out over a 16-game season, Tannehill would have the best season of his career with nearly 4,500 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 16 interceptions.

Tannehill is an interesting case because, in my opinion, he’s a pretty good quarterback who played for a pretty bad franchise. It’s been quite some time since anyone has been consistently successful playing for the Dolphins, and most of us can see why with what they’re doing this season. Simply put, like Derrick Henry, Tannehill is a talented player who should not be overlooked.

The Titans have a competitive defense

Mike Vrabel is well known among Chiefs fans both for his time as a New England Patriot and for his final years as a Kansas City Chief. Through 14 years as a professional defender, he was one of the cornerstones of multiple defensive units, including three that arguably carried the Patriots to their first three Super Bowls. Unfortunately for him, his coaching career has not yet generated the same type of success as his playing career.

After spending time as the linebackers coach and defensive line coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Vrabel transitioned to the NFL where he coached the linebackers for the Houston Texans and eventually took over defensive coordinator duties. His 2017 Texans unit struggled, finishing last in points against and 20th in total yards. You could say he failed upward as we was rewarded with a head coaching offer from the Titans in the offseason.

Since taking over for the Titans, Vrabel has actually done a pretty effective job. After finishing 2016 17th in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed, the Titans defense improved considerably last season finishing third in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed. They’ve been strong this season as well, through nine games ranking seventh and 13th in those same categories.

While Vrabel has struggled to build a successful offense, one of the primary gripes of Titans fans, he has built what seems to be a consistently good defense. With Malcolm Butler’s season coming to an end due to injury, the Chiefs offense has a much easier path to success on Sunday. That said, don’t be surprised if Vrabel has some unique wrinkles up his sleeve to slow down the Chiefs attack.