Packers crush Titans, 40-14

Sunday night at Lambeau Field felt all too familiar, didn’t it? The Titans went north and got absolutely smacked by the Packers.

Before you could blink, Aaron Rodgers had thrown three touchdown passes and established a three-score lead.

Rodgers and Davante Adams made things look easy to start the game, scoring on a simple pop pass to kickoff the scoring. The Titans were unable to answer, punting back to Rodgers and company.

After appearing to make a stop, a Rashaan Evans penalty kept the Packers’ drive going. The result? Another Rodgers touchdown — this time to Equanimeous St. Brown.

A Ryan Tannehill interception followed, and another Adams touchdown gave Green Bay a 19-0 lead.

Finally with just a few minutes left to play in the first half, Tennessee managed to get their first stop. They blocked a field goal attempt, only to have it called back on a phantom offsides call on Joshua Kalu. The Packers went for it on 4th and 3 on the next play, but the Titans came up with a sack from Wyatt Ray to stay alive.

And stay alive is exactly what Ryan Tannehill was able to do next. A quick drive before the break was the first life the Titans had shown, and they were able to get seven points out of it. Tannehill found Jonnu Smith to cut the lead down to 19-7.

The Titans got the ball back to open the second half, giving them a chance to double dip. Tennessee went back to Derrick Henry, then hit the Packers with a read-option look on third and one from midfield. It worked like a charm, sending Tannehill on a 45 yard scamper to the endzone.

Very quickly, the Titans had clawed back into this one, down just 19-14.

Controversy struck again on the next drive, the second legitimate gripe that the Titans had with the officials during this one. Aaron Jones broke a run down the sideline, clearly stepping out of bounds on the way. A 60 yard run should have been about 20, but Mike Vrabel didn’t challenge and the Packers snapped the ball in a hurry. Regardless of Vrabel, Jones stepped out of bounds directly in front of an official, who flat missed the call.

It was a big moment that led to another touchdown for Davante Adams. Would the Titans had stopped Rodgers on that drive? Doubtful — they didn’t stop him all night. But the Packers certainly didn’t need any help on this night, especially at the one time in the night that this game was competitive.

Rookie running back A.J. Dillon broke the Titans’ back in the closing minutes of the third quarter. His breakout night continued with a touchdown run, pushing the Green Bay lead to 33-14.

Tannehill tossed his second interception of the night to open the fourth quarter. It was easily his worst performance of the season, and he wasn’t helped by his offensive line. The Packers won off the edge all night, creating a long night for Tannehill. With Derrick Henry minimized due to game-script, Tennessee needed the best Tannehill they could find tonight. They didn’t find him.

Rodgers and Adams made things look easy, powering former Titans’ offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to a win over his former boss.

The Titans still hold the lead in the AFC South, despite the loss. The Colts were beaten by the Steelers today, which kept Tennessee in control. So with a win next week over the struggling Texans, the Titans are the AFC South champs.

The Titans and Texans will kickoff next Sunday in Houston at 3:25 p.m. CT.