Story by: Jim Wyatt, Titansonline.com
Now that’s more like it.
The Titans flew into the Peach State and looked, well, quite peachy in a 24-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Ten days after a dreadful performance in Jacksonville, the Titans jumped all over the Falcons early and then cruised to a huge win.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 18-of-27 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns, with a 129.7 rating.
Running back Derrick Henry carried the ball 27 times for 100 yards.
Rookie receiver A.J. Brown had three catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
The Titans defense sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan five times and came up with several fourth down stops.
And in the process, the Titans improved to 2-2 in the season.
The Titans got off to a fast start in this one.
The Titans jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to receiver A.J. Brown, who caught the ball in the middle of the field and made several Falcons miss while sprinting into the end zone.
After the Falcons answered back with a quick touchdown drive to make it 7-7, scoring on a one-yard touchdown run by Ito Smith, the Titans went back to Brown again for another score. Mariota engineered a 14-play, 75-yard drive and capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brown, which made it 14-7. Mariota connected with receivers Corey Davis and Adam Humphries of third-down completions to keep the drive alive.
On the ensuing possession, Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, and he forced a fumble he recovered himself in the process. But the Titans weren’t able to cash it in for points.
It was one of two big plays for Casey, who combined with safety Kenny Vaccaro on a fourth-and-one stop late in the second quarter. Vaccaro got immediate penetration on the stop of Falcons running back Devonta Freeman before Casey gobbled him up.
The Titans stretched their lead to 17-7 on a 45-yard field goal by kicker Cairo Santos, and they kept coming.
Late in the second quarter, the Titans made it 24-7 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Davis, which capped a six-play, 60-yard drive and ignited a “Let’s Go Titans!” chant at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons cut Tennessee’s lead to 24-10 on their opening possession of the third quarter on a field goal by kicker Matt Bryant.
The Titans face the Buffalo Bills next Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
