Bucs vs. Titans: Most Disappointing In Preseason Week 1

Saturday night’s game looked a lot like Thursday’s joint practice session where the Titans’ offensive line held up well against Tampa Bay’s front seven. Braswell was stymied, as was the rest of the defensive line and the outside pass rush. It was not until midway through the third quarter that the defense recorded a sack, and that was from undrafted rookie inside linebacker Nick Jackson. Warren Peoples Jr. added a sack later, but it was hardly a promising performance from the pass rushers the team will be relying on come regular season time.

None of this is to discount the run defense, which remained technically sound from a gap integrity standpoint, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry. For the defense to take the next step this season though, more needs to be seen from the pass rush. It is only one game, but it was still disappointing.

Covering Titans WR Calvin Ridley

For all the good the Bucs defense did in stopping Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward and holding Tennessee’s offense to just five total yards in the first quarter, the second quarter saw the Titans find success at the expense of Tampa Bay’s secondary not being in position and unable to aptly cover wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

It looked to be an unfair matchup from the start, as the backup defensive backs had a lapse in communication that allowed Ward to sit in the pocket and wait for the zone coverage to open up. He connected with Ridley for a 27-yard gain on the first play of the drive and found him two more times for 10 and 13 yards. On that particular sequence, cornerback Josh Hayes was beaten by the seasoned wideout twice, with Hayes also dropping an interception. It led to the Titans moving the ball downfield and scoring a touchdown to make it a 10-7 game.

Some Bucs Offensive Line Sloppiness

It wound up being a long 11-minute scoring drive for the Bucs that carried over into the second quarter, but it got just a bit longer after left tackle Ben Chukwuma was called for an offensive holding penalty. Chukwuma was penalized after throwing down a Titans defender right after he came into the game for starting left tackle Charlie Heck.

Chukwuma is raw, having only played football for two years at Georgia State. In the midst of a solid training camp, he showed his inexperience just a bit, which is to be expected in his first NFL game.

Later in the first half, center Elijah Klein had an errant snap that led to an 18-yard loss and forced a punt.

Yikes.

To be fair, Klein is learning the tools of the trade all over Tampa Bay’s offensive line, after primarily playing at right guard during his college days at UTEP. Throughout camp, he has dabbled at left and right guard, right tackle, as well as the pivot spot. If there is a time to make these mistakes, it is now.

TE Ko Kieft

Ko Kieft has one job — to block.

That and his special teams’ skills are the only reasons Kieft has made the team the past couple of seasons, but he was also why a touchdown was kept off the board Saturday night. After reserve wide receiver Jacob Harris nullified one Owen Wright touchdown run, Kieft kept Wright from finding the end zone again on an obvious offensive holding call.

With the way other tight ends (Payne Durham and Devin Culp) have made strides as blockers, Kieft has to make the most of his chances and did not do so in the preseason opener.