A handful of players on offense impressed for the Tennessee Titans in Saturday’s preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan debuted his offense in Saturday’s 17-13 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers. It was an ideal start for Callahan. His starting offense scored two touchdowns in two offensive series’ before making way for backups.
The Titans sustained drives, converting better than 50% on third down (9-of-17). A well-balanced offense passed for 198 yards and rushed for 138 more to gain 336 total yards of offense. The starters, who did benefit from short fields thanks to outstanding special teams play, were methodical with their opportunities. Titans punter Ty Zentner punted just twice.
Several players on offense put forth excellent performances for the Titans. We’ve identified four in particular.
Nicholas Petit-Frere, RT
Nicholas Petit-Frere earned the start at right tackle despite returning to practice exactly one week ago (Aug. 3) from offseason knee surgery. Petit-Frere was outstanding for a first-team offensive line that was overall very impressive. The third-year blocker out of Ohio State took a sizable step towards winning the right tackle job.
Tony Pollard looks extremely explosive. 24 yard gain here into the red zone #TENvsSF pic.twitter.com/HMsbr9sh0M
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) August 10, 2024
Petit-Frere handles two defenders on this 24 yard gain by Tony Pollard. It was Tennessee’s third-largest gain of the evening. Petit-Frere fires off the snap and handles his assignments with ease to help create a large rushing lane for Pollard. NPF also handled a stunt in pass protection with flawless execution, a concept he’s previously struggled with. Bill Callahan’s magic is having a positive impact.
Tony Pollard, RB
Tony Pollard earned the “start” in Brian Callahan’s backfield, receiving the first carry of the contest. Pollard rushed four times for a position-high 35 yards. Tyjae Spears handled three carries for two yards and one touchdown.
Tony Pollard looks extremely explosive. 24 yard gain here into the red zone #TENvsSF pic.twitter.com/HMsbr9sh0M
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) August 10, 2024
Pollard looked particularly explosive on this 24 yard gain. Pollard and Spears rotated on what felt like a play-by-play, not drive-by-drive basis. It felt like an accurate preview of their regular-season usage, with Callahan utilizing both of his running backs with consistency.
Calvin Ridley, WR
Calvin Ridley was Tennessee’s unquestioned No. 1 receiver on Saturday with DeAndre Hopkins sidelined with a multi-week knee injury. Ridley played just nine offensive snaps, the fewest amount of the nine receivers that suited up on offense. The $92 million wideout still managed to make his presence felt.
.@CalvinRidley1 is a Tennessee Titan 🔥
📱: Stream #SFvsTEN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/GVivFrQmVH
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
Ridley caught this third-and-10 pass from starting quarterback Will Levis underneath the coverage and well short of the sticks. Ridley then made an excellent move in the open field to gain 22 yards and sustain the drive, one which concluded with a Tyjae Spears rushing touchdown. His acceleration was noticeable.
JC Latham, LT
Titans left tackle JC Latham had an up-and-down debut, but this was a standout rep. He executes an outstanding stab-chop-rip for a commanding win here, putting 49ers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos on the ground. Protection held up so well this rep that the 49ers ended up committing a defensive holding penalty in the end zone that gave the Titans a first down instead of fourth-and-goal.
Strong outside hand from JC Latham pic.twitter.com/pGbJoJorNm
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) August 10, 2024
Titans fans were used to seeing Dennis Daley and Andre Dillard get dominated on reps like this one in critical moments. Latham wasn’t perfect. There were instances on later drives where technical lapses led to lost reps. All in all, it was a positive debut for Latham.
