Tannehill’s recovered from loss to Bengals, injury
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has changed his tune.
The Titans (7-3) host the Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) in a rematch of the 19-16 home playoff loss from last season. The offense, and particularly Tannehill, shouldered the blame for the defeat after earning the top seed in the AFC and a clear path to the Super Bowl.
While the defense sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow nine times, intercepted a pass and didn’t allow a passing touchdown, the offense went 1-for-8 on third downs and Tannehill threw three interceptions, including a backbreaker in a tie game with 28 seconds left in regulation.
Over the summer, Tannehill spoke about how the loss haunted him. How it was a scar. How it kept him awake through the night. How it drove him back into therapy. How it was his sole motivator.
“It’s something I’ll always remember. It’s always there,” Tannehill said in June. “But at the same time, I’ve dealt with it. It’s in the past, and now I’m using it as fuel to move forward.”
But now, as the Titans prepare for another clash against Burrow and the Bengals, Tannehill isn’t quite so reflective.
“Last year, it has no effect on this year,” Tannehill said.
Evaluating Tannehill
The Titans are back in striking distance for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs despite an offense that has hardly been stellar. Through 10 games, the Titans rank No. 29 in the NFL in yards per game, No. 21 in yards per play, No. 30 in passing yards per game, No. 31 in first downs per game, No. 27 in third-down conversion rate and No. 24 in points per game. Tannehill ranks 25th in passing yards, 24th in yards per game and tied for 22nd in passing touchdowns.
But it’s hard to put too much of the blame on Tannehill. For one, Tannehill missed two games with an ankle injury and those were the Titans’ two worst offensive showings. Beyond that, there’s a difference between raw numbers and rate statistics. Tannehill’s 97.9 quarterback rating is the NFL’s seventh best. His 8.1 yards per pass attempt is fifth. By adjusted net yards per attempt − a metric that factors in touchdowns, interceptions and sacks − he’s been the NFL’s seventh-best quarterback.
Looking at DVOA − a Football Outsiders stat that measures value generated per play adjusted for opponent quality − Tannehill has been the NFL’s 12th-best quarterback, ranking 4% better than average. For comparison, Burrow has been 5% better than average and two-time reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has been 2.9% better than average.
Coming back ... in more ways than one
Playing the Bengals again puts Tannehill and the Titans under scrutiny. Fair or unfair, this is a bench mark game. This is the opportunity for the Titans to show where they stack up in the AFC, and it’s Tannehill’s chance to show how he’s moved on.
“For me, I think he’s kind of the same guy every day that he comes into the building,” Titans backup quarterback Logan Woodside said. “He just tries to prepare each day to get ready to go.”
Getting a second chance against Cincinnati is one thing. Getting a second chance coming off an injury that knocked his season out of rhythm is another. Ankle injuries are weird. Just because Tannehill is back, and just because he’s coming off his most impressive game of the season, doesn’t mean he’s not still in pain.
Tannehill talks about his ankle the way “Survivor” contestants talk about having to eat rice for every meal. It’s not ideal. Life would be a lot easier if he had more flexibility. But it’s what he must do if he wants to survive and win.
That attitude is one of the things that endears Tannehill to his teammates.
“He’s always been a guy who if we’re out of the building at 5, he’s sitting here until 6:30 or 7 o’clock, maybe 8 sometimes,” safety Kevin Byard said. “He’s always been the same guy. I don’t think anybody wants to miss games and things like that. Those ankle injuries, they’re all different for everybody. He’s one of the toughest players, definitely the toughest quarterback, that I’ve been around.”
This is the only mode Tannehill knows. It’s why he sat out two games; he didn’t want to be on the field if he couldn’t protect himself and couldn’t grit through the plays he needed to to help the Titans win.
Now, playing the team that dealt him the most painful loss of his career, pain is just another part of his reality.
“It’s tough. Being injured is not where you want to be,” Tannehill said. “Being out. So I definitely had to work through that process. When you come back you want to be able to pick up where you left off.”