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| Other Week 3 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at NE | CAR at DAL | CHI at SEA | CLE at BAL | DEN at OAK | GB at STL | IND at ARI | JAX at HOU |
| KC at PHI | MIA at SD | NO at BUF | NYG at TB | PIT at CIN | SF at MIN | TEN at NYJ | WAS at DET |
Week 3 Game Recap: Tennessee Titans 17, New York Jets 24
Tennessee Titans
| QB Kerry Collins, Pass: 15 - 37 - 170 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 |
Collins didn't play nearly as badly as his stat line would indicate. He suffered at least five drops by the wide receivers, and also threw a lot of balls away to avoid sacks. As usual, Collins had a good rhythm in the offense when everything was smooth, delivered the ball on time and on target, and he wasn't afraid to throw into small windows. The Jets were successful at getting him off his game, especially late, but they did that to Tom Brady and Matt Schaub, too. All in all, Collins did a fine job of helping the team get righted after falling behind 14-0. His interceptions came when he tried to force the ball to Chris Johnson down the sidelines and when David Harris dropped into coverage on Alge Crumpler and Collins didn't read him. Collins made a very nice quick throw to Nate Washington for the TD when he noticed Dwight Lowery wasn't watching the ball.
| RB Chris Johnson, Rush: 22 - 97 - 0, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) |
Johnson had a great game running the ball against a very tough Jets defense. He absorbed a ton of punishment, mostly running inside, but still had his elite burst at the end of the game. When he did get outside, Johnson racked up 10-15 yard gains, but the game plan curiously did not get him the ball in space very often, only once as a receiver. He also rarely, if ever split out wide in this game. Johnson did an admirable job as a classic between the tackles RB, but he should be used more creatively than he was in this game.
| RB LenDale White, Rush: 7 - 27 - 1 |
White ran very well, and the team was committed to him in the red zone, giving him five straight carries. He didn't disappoint, converting the TD on a run that displayed good balance and tackle-breaking ability. White is still relegated to basically a backup/role player as long as the Titans are in a close game.
| WR Justin Gage, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (10 targets) |
Gage once again was targeted frequently, and he once again had multiple bad drops. Gage did flash great hands when the ball was thrown outside of his frame, but his drops were on easy catches. He also shows little to no ability to make anything happen after the catch.
| WR Kenny Britt, Rec: 4 - 59 - 0 (6 targets) |
Britt had to play a big role the whole game as the Titans were forced to pass, stuck in a 14-point hole early. He seemed like the most comfortable Titans WR catching the ball, he came back to the ball well, and he also broke some tackles after the catch. He's well on his way to being to the Titans #1 receiver.
| WR Nate Washington, Rec: 2 - 25 - 1 (9 targets) |
Washington caught his TD on a nice unspoken communication play where Kerry Collins threw behind him because Dwight Lowery was overplaying the route and not looking back at the ball. He had a nice gain on a crossing route to set up the TD. Washington also had multiple drops, including one over the middle when he seemed to hear footsteps.
| TE Alge Crumpler, Rec: 4 - 41 - 0 (6 targets) |
You can tell all of your LenDale fat jokes about Alge Crumpler now, but his hands were no joke as he snagged passes in tight quarters and helped keep the passing offense moving. Obviously, his run after catch ability is close to that of an offensive tackle (as is his blocking), but he is still a sure-handed passcatcher.
New York Jets
| QB Mark Sanchez, Pass: 17 - 30 - 171 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 4 - 10 - 1 |
Just another vet-like performance for the undefeated rookie. He looked like he had been in the league for 10 years executing play fakes, including the play action TD pass to Ben Hartsock, and he showed a lot of grit (if not some stupidity) putting his head down and taking the collision to Michael Griffin at the goal line to score on the ground. Sanchez continues to be on the same page as Jerricho Cotchery, hitting him with a perfectly thrown bomb in the second half, and throwing other passes to him where Cotchery can use his big body to block out, like he did on the quick slant TD. Sanchez's one interception was on a ball thrown high to Chansi Stuckey, but it was still catchable, as Stuckey had it bounce off of his hands. The west coast background of Sanchez showed on a couple plays that he had trouble handling the ball because of the conditions, and he did hold the ball out there a little to cavalierly on his fumble, but overall, Sanchez played well beyond his years. He even had a reception on a throwback from Leon Washington that was called back by a penalty.
| RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 14 - 20 - 0, Rec: 1 - 2 - 0 (2 targets) |
There was no room to run for Jones. His TD chance was vultured away by a play action pass call on 2nd and goal. He had a long run late, but it was called back by a penalty. With the Jets playing well, better games are in his future.
| RB Leon Washington, Rush: 12 - 46 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) |
Washington was a focal point of the game plan early, with multiple catches and even some direct snaps - some of the wildcat variety, and some where Mark Sanchez faked an errant snap from center. None of really worked against the Titans stout defense, but it's good to see that the coaching staff is still making a point of getting Washington a lot of touches.
| RB Tony Richardson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Richardson had a nice run, and a catch in the end zone that he couldn't get both feet inbounds on - but he's still just a fullback.
| WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 8 - 108 - 1 (12 targets) |
Cotchery is a real #1 wide receiver with Mark Sanchez's arrival ahead of schedule. He got multiple targets in the early game scripted drive, presented himself as a big target, blocking out the DB on third-down conversions and his TD, and he even got open on two downfield throws that would have added 40-50 yards to his total if Sanchez was more accurate. He got the one deep target on the day, and converted it in tight coverage with superior ball tracking and concentration. Congratulations if you drafted him, you might have gotten a top 10 fantasy wideout.
| WR Brad Smith, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Smith had a nice catch that he absorbed a big hit to make, and he also made a huge play on special teams to keep Ryan Mouton at bay while his teammates recovered Mouton's muffed punt.
| WR Chansi Stuckey, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (6 targets) |
Stuckey looked like a mediocre #2 wideout today, letting one high pass bounce off of his hands for the sole interception by Sanchez, although Sanchez did throw behind him on an early target.
| TE Dustin Keller, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (4 targets) |
Keller had a downfield catch on the first scripted drive, but faded into the background as the game went on, as most of the downfield targets went to Cotchery.
| TE Ben Hartsock, Rec: 1 - 2 - 1 (1 targets) |
The blocking TE sometimes gets some end zone love on play action fake passes at the goal line, and this week it was Hartsock's turn to score, against his former teammates.