Titans vs Texans: position by position recap

After a tough loss to Houston, how did Tennessee grade out?

Quarterback B+

That's right, Jake Locker gets a high grade from me. Why? Well for starters, against a suffocating Texan defense, he didn't make any big mistakes. Sure he took a sack here or there, but he wasn't the cause of the sacks. Too many times Titans WRs or RBs went down on first contact, and without help after the catch he did more than any fan could expect or hope. Getting two TDs without throwing an INT is big for Locker, and the Titans had the game won until Kendall Wright dropped a screen pass (that would have gone for a first down) late in the game.

Running backs: B-

Chris Johnson had some great moments today, but he didn't attack the hole. Too often he slowed down nearing the sidelines and didn't know where the marker was. Battle had a great nine-yard run early, but he also hit the wrong hole on a 4th and 1 that could have really helped the Titans build early momentum.

Wide Recievers: C

Nate Washington and Kendall Wright had good days, but so many bad plays by Kenny Britt overshadow them. I said this earlier, but if the Titans are seriously evaluating the tape and not afraid to make changes, I'm not sure if Kenny Britt even suits up next week. The Titans would probably better with a fresh face out there and Tennessee should consider shopping him to a team that needs a short-term solution at WR.

Fullbacks/Tight Ends: B

Stevens and Taylor Thompson have been almost non-existent in the first two weeks of the season. Walker made a nice catch and threw off a tackler on his TD grab, and was a very good blocker all day. Mooney was solid, but didn't make any "wow" blocks.

Offensive Line: B-

This is a little harder to judge considering the Texans gameplan, but I thought they did a decent job considering. The Texans constantly sent more blitzers than the Titans had blockers, but I thought Stewart, Roos, and Warmack all had nice days. Levitre was decent but didn't dominate, and Rob Turner had another shaky performance.

Defensive Line: B

The pressure was there for most of the days for the Titans, but there were also more gashing runs than last week. As a unit though, they provided good pressure and forced the Texans into bad situations.

Linebackers: B+

Ayers was improved today, and as blitzers the LBs were exceptional. Brown was all over the field compiling a game-leading 12 tackles, and Fokou rocked Matt Schaub more than once. If the Titans can continue playing like this on defense the LBs will be a huge part of it.

Defensive Backs: A

You can't ask for much more that what the Titans DBs gave that team today. Pollard was a part of a few bone-rattling hits. Jason McCourty had a tough matchup, but again was in solid position for most of the day. Griffin, Wilson and Sensabaugh were all in good position for most of the day and made plays when called upon. Most importantly, Alterraun Verner was a playmaker, adding a pick-six to his four pass defenses.