close
close

Mason Rudolph leads the Tennessee Titans to preseason victory against the Seahawks

tabnews August 18, 2024
0

Brian Callahan's winning streak early in his coaching career with the Tennessee Titans continues thanks to a final-moment comeback led by backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.

The Titans outlasted the Seattle Seahawks 16-15 on Saturday at Nissan Stadium to improve their record to 2-0 in the 2024 NFL preseason. Rudolph and fellow backup quarterback Malik Willis alternated during the game, with Willis completing 12-of-16 passes for 116 yards and an interception on a day.

Rudolph, however, proved to be the hero, completing 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown and leading the offense 42 yards in the final 1:55 minutes to set up the game-winning field goal by undrafted rookie Brayden Narveson.

Neither the Titans nor the Seahawks played virtually any of their potential starters in this game after the first team spent a week practicing together and competing against each other. The most prominent Titans, including quarterback Will Levis, receiver Calvin Ridley and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, were not even in the locker room.

Here are The Tennessean's insights from Saturday's game.

Rotation interview between Malik Willis and Mason Rudolph

Willis, in his third season, took his opportunity pretty well. He made a few nice throws and went over his initial estimate more than once in the first half, then came back in the second half and led a long scoring attack. He fell behind several times because of offensive line penalties and couldn't recover. He ran well, including an 8-yard sprint on a designed run. But as he has done throughout his time with the Titans, he missed a few open receivers by throwing high (including one that was deflected for an interception) or by calling in his estimate too late.

Rudolph led a 10-play attack on his first possession and looked poised and controlled on throws into tight spaces up the middle. He wasn't perfect, especially when it came to navigating the pockets and avoiding pressure, but he looked about as poised as you'd expect from a veteran with so much starting experience playing mostly against backups. Callahan trusted Rudolph with the final comeback attempt, bringing it in with 1:55 left and the Titans trailing by two points.

It's hard to feel good about the depth of the defense

The only player who came anywhere close to competing for a starting spot on defense Saturday was safety Elijah Molden. That wasn't exactly the A-team. Still, several of the players the Titans put on the field in the first half are expected to contribute this fall, so it's hard to be happy with the performance of the unit — led by linebackers Chance Campbell and Otis Reese and cornerbacks Tre Avery and Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

The defensive line held firm. Rookie edge rusher Jaylen Harrell, in particular, recorded two sacks and another pressure. But Seattle averaged 7.4 yards per play in the first half, including nearly 11 yards per pass attempt. After Avery and Gabe Jeudy-Lally struggled in the first preseason game, Saturday presented a big opportunity to improve things against a starting quarterback in Seattle's Sam Howell. Letting Howell complete 79% of his passes isn't exactly that.

PRACTICAL INTERVIEW: Calvin Ridley and the receivers have a strange, disjointed day in Titans practice against the Seahawks

How about this leg?

Undrafted rookie Brayden Narveson won't be able to beat veteran Nick Folk for the Titans' kicking job, but a 59-yard field goal that gave them a fourth-quarter lead is as decisive as it gets. The fact that Narveson's kick probably would have been good from 61 or 62 yards out only makes the kick even sweeter.

But that wasn't all. Narveson converted the 46-yard kick to win the game with 3 seconds left, proving to be doubly decisive.

Jha'Quan Jackson continues big week

Jackson, a sixth-round pick out of Tulane, led the Titans with 57 receiving yards on four catches, along with 14 punt return yards and 19 kickoff return yards. After catching three touchdowns in two joint practices against the Seahawks this week and impressing as a returner in the season opener, Jackson improves his chances of making the roster and contributing early.

What happens next?

The Titans will travel to New Orleans on August 25 to face the Saints, the final preseason game of their summer. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

WITHOUT A KING: Who are the Tennessee Titans without Derrick Henry? What players and coaches say about the search for a new identity

Nick Suss is the Titans reporter for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @nicksuss.

Tags:

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *