Titans beat Cardinals 26-23 to wrap up preseason

The Tennessee Titans wrapped up the NFL preseason with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night. Malik Willis looked good, and Treylon Burks got involved, finally.

The Starters

Malik Willis Part 3

The Titans want Malik to throw the ball and learn, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. A huge 50 yard run in the second quarter finally sparked the Tennessee offense as Willis completely flipped the field. Malik fell short of the endzone, and then missed an easy touchdown throw that ended up behind Mason Kinsey. He just ran 50+ yards though, so we’ll cut him some slack.

Willis came back and tossed a touchdown to Treylon Burks ahead of halftime. He was under pressure, and did a nice job with his arm angle to get the ball out to Burks, who was running free underneath.

That touchdown capped a two-minute situation drive for Willis, who looked mighty comfortable operating with tempo. He mixed in some runs, some good decisions on some simple throws, and cashed in with six.

Game by game, Malik Willis has grown up quite a bit this preseason. He looked so much more comfortable than he did just two weeks ago, and that’s really exciting to see.

Willis finished 15-23 for 131 yards and a touchdown. He had a batted ball get picked off, and added four carries for 79 yards.

Robert Woods Debut

For the first time as a Tennessee Titan, Robert Woods hit the field — the final step in his return from a torn ACL last season. It wasn’t much, but it was something for Woods, who caught a three yard out route in the first quarter from Willis.

Treylon Burks

The first round pick out of Arkansas hasn’t seen much attention from Malik Willis so far this preseason, and it’s clear the team wanted to change that tonight. Willis hit Burks on a hitch to open the game, then found him again on a crosser for a first down.

Just as he appeared to be getting comfortable, Burks left the game with a wrist injury. He missed a couple of practices this week due to injury, for what it’s worth.

Burks was able to return to action, however — and he returned in a big way. A simple drag route turned into six points for Burks.

It was an encouraging day for Burks, who is going to be needed and ready to go from day one for this team.

Quick Hitters

• Trace McSorley abused the Titans’ (backup) secondary on the opening drive. Theo Jackson got work in the slot while Caleb Farley manned an outside spot. The Titans lost Eno Benjamin out of the backfield and let Andy Isabella come free for a couple of big plays.
• Rashad Weaver flashed yet again early, spinning away from a block and knocking the ball loose from McSorley. He continued all night long, putting together another strong night of film.
• Ryan Stonehouse launched a massive pun in the second quarter. It hit the one yard line, then bounced straight backwards about seven yards to pin the Cardinals deep. It was a 64 yarder — making the punt battle that much more interesting. Stonehouse handled all the punts and holds tonight.
• Jon Robinson confirmed from the booth that Nicholas Petit-Frere won the starting right tackle job over Dillon Radunz. Radunz worked at guard this week in practice.
• Joe Jones made an impressive hustle play down the field in the third quarter, chasing down Andy Isabella after he made a man miss. It’s plays like those that can get you on the 53-man.
• Logan Woodside did not enter the game until late in the 4th quarter. He bounced back from a bad game last week, and won the game for the Titans tonight. His scramble to the endzone was enough to put the Titans ahead late, after manufacturing a good-looking drive to get them in position.
• Dez Fitzpatrick dropped a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that would have put the Titans ahead.