Both the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars' offenses got off to a sluggish start, heading into halftime with a 6-3 Titans lead.
QB Marcus Mariota would emerge from the halftime break to lead the Titans to a 17-point third quarter and an insurmountable lead over the Jags. Tight ends Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith put the Titans up 30-3 early in the fourth quarter despite two late game touchdowns from Jags RB Leonard Fournette and Allen Hurns would push the final score to 37-9.
With that, we give you our PFF exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
Top 5 Grades:
TE Delanie Walker, 89.3 overall grade
DE Jurrell Casey, 85.3 overall grade
LG Quinton Spain, 83.6 overall grade
RG Josh Kline, 82.7 overall grade
HB Derrick Henry, 82.3 overall grade
Performances of Note:
QB Marcus Mariota, 74.4 overall grade
Sometimes it takes an interception to wake a quarterback up. Mariota was going along nicely until a terrible decision saw him turn the ball over, but it was the bounce back from his mistake that will hearten Titans fans. He was cool and composed, working the ball downfield with big completions to Walker and Taywan Taylor being the highlights. He ended the day with eight completions on 14 attempts over 10 yards down field.
HB Derrick Henry, 82.3 overall grade
Any more performances like this and they'll be some serious chatter about who the lead back should be in Tennessee. The offense couldn't get going with DeMarco Murray carrying the load, but it thrived with the decisive Henry exploited the Jaguars defense. Henry is thought of as more of a bruiser, but it was his ability to bounce runs out that put the Jaguars to bed. 34 of his yards came off left end, his most succesful zone to run in and he also forced three missed tackles on just 14 carries.
DE Jurrell Casey, 85.3 overall grade
One of the league's perennially underrated players, Casey goes about his work with minimal fuss, but maximum reward for Tennessee. This wasn't his most flashy performance, but he was a constant thorn in the Jaguars passing game with one hit and three hurries highlight the trouble the guards in particular had with him. A further three stops in the run game show what a complete player he is.
CB Adoree' Jackson, 53.9 overall grade
The downside still looks like the cornerback teams are going to go after. Six times he was thrown at, allowing four receptions for 42 yards which was the second highest number on the team. But he is starting to look more comfortable and arguably should have had a pick early in the second quarter, only to let a ball go through his hands after tracking it well. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of his game is what he can do in the return game and he showed on two occasions that he needs just a small sight and he'll make opposing teams pay.
Top 5 Grades:
LB Telvin Smith, 86.5 overall grade
CB Jalen Ramsey, 82.1 overall grade
WR Allen Hurns, 81.8 overall grade
WR Marqise Lee, 79.1 overall grade
LG Patrick Onameh, 78.6 overall grade
Performances of Note:
QB Blake Bortles, 71.5 overall grade
A three-turnover day is never good, but there is some sympathy for Bortles. He got away with his worst throw with 14:23 to go in Q2, but then saw two balls knocked into the arms of waiting defenders, while his fumble was more the fault of Cam Robinson than anything he did. That said, the rest of his play was underwhelming, and while he was competent enough for the most part, as the Titans put their foot on the gas offensively, Bortles just couldn't compete with them. He was particularly flustered by the blitz where he completed just 36.4 percent of his passes.
WR Allen Hurns, 81.8 overall grade
It's clear that with Allen Robinson down, it will be on Hurns to fill the void. The questionable chemistry between Marqise Lee and Blake Bortles almost dictates that by default, but Hurns just has a knack for getting open and reeling the ball in. He may have been out-targeted by Lee by five throws, but if this offense is to be more consistent, he will surely be the go to guy.
LB Telvin Smith, 86.5 overall grade
Smith had himself a day, leading the team in tackles and making the Jaguars play of the day when he picked off Marcus Mariota. For his sake, it's a shame the second half was so one-sided, but even as the Titans dominated his peformance didn't drop. He didn't miss a snap, something you have to go back to Week 15 of the 2016 season to have happened.
Edge Dante Fowler Jr., 46.0 overall grade
It could be any of the Jaguars defensive line we speak about because they all shared something in common; a lack of production. The dominance over the Texans line was one thing, but the Titans five up front are built from sturdier stuff. Fowler ended the day with three hurries, but two were late developing and one was unblocked pursuit. Still he did lead the team with pressures as Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell were held uncharactertiscally quiet with just one pressure combined.
PFF Game Ball: Delanie Walker, TE
*Grades are subject to change upon review
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