Titans' Mike Vrabel baffled by Ryan Tannehill's play vs. Saints

It sounds like Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is among those searching for answers to help explain why quarterback Ryan Tannehill endured such a lousy afternoon during Sunday's 16-15 loss at the New Orleans Saints. 

"I don't know," Vrabel said when asked Monday why Tannehill struggled against the Saints, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans website. "I wish that I knew. I wish that I could tell you. We have to be better. Ryan has to be better. We have to hit guys that are open, and we can't force the ball into double coverage. And so we have to give him cleaner pockets like we gave him in the second half earlier." 

Tannehill completed just 16 of 34 pass attempts for 198 yards with zero touchdowns in the one-point defeat at Caesars Superdome. He also missed open wide receivers on multiple occasions and tossed three interceptions in his season debut. 

Questions about Tannehill's future continue to hover over the veteran heading into the fall. He turned 35 years old this summer, is in the final year of his contract, and shares a quarterback room with 2022 third-round draft pick Malik Willis and 2023 second-round draft choice Will Levis. 

Vrabel said on Monday he expects Tannehill to "respond like he has" beginning with Sunday's home game against the 0-1 Los Angeles Chargers. As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Titans as underdogs (+154, +3.5) for that matchup. 

"He's been a great competitor for us, and he's been unbelievably tough and determined and I am positive those results will be different," Vrabel added about Tannehill. 

Not everybody is so confident. Ahead of the "Monday Night Football" game between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, Bookies.com named Tannehill as the favorite to be the first Week 1 starting quarterback benched by his club this season.