Titans' Mike Vrabel criticism of wide receivers underscores frustrations with offense

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The Tennessee Titans couldn’t get their offense rolling in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, a 20-17 overtime loss, mainly because rookie quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t trusted to throw the ball. 

Willis ended the game with 16 pass attempts, completing just five of them for 80 yards. Not a single wide receiver caught a pass either. 

The run game was the bringer of points, as Derrick Henry totaled two touchdowns on 17 carries with 115 yards (6.8 per run attempts). Even Willis had some good looks on the ground (eight carries, 40 yards), but when its third-and-long and the defense knows what’s coming, it’s easy to play defense. 

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Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans reacts during the second half against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Oct. 30, 2022 in Houston, Texas.  (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

With no clear timetable on when Ryan Tannehill will return at quarterback — he tried to warmup on Sunday night but went right back into the locker room — head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about the sustainability of running Henry 26-plus times per game. 

"We’ve been able to use him and he’s helped us win a lot of games since I’ve been here," Vrabel told ESPN. "I don’t [know] what else we would do — throw it 50 times? I mean, who the (bleep) would we throw it to?"

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Intentional or not, that seemed like a dig on the Titans' wide receivers, who are currently Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Cody Hollister, with Chris Conley mixed in as well. Rookie wideouts Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips are both on the IR. 

Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis, left, runs with the ball as Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid, right, defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo.  (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

The Titans’ wide receiver group had 51 catches for 658 yards with one touchdown heading into this matchup with the Chiefs, which was the lowest mark in the NFL by far. 

The NBC broadcast compared that to Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, who the Titans traded on NFL Draft night months ago. He has 43 catches for 718 yards and six touchdowns. 

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So Vrabel does have a point if he’s trying to stir up something in his wide receivers room: No one is producing, rookie quarterback or not. And Henry, as good as he is, can’t shoulder the offense. 

He was able to do so against the Houston Texans, as Henry totaled over 200 yards and two touchdowns prior to the Chiefs game. But teams like the Denver Broncos next, Cincinnati Bengals and Eagles still on the schedule, it’s going to be very tough to do that. 

Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans stands on the side of the field during their game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 6, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jason Hanna/Getty Images)

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Tennessee netted 38 second-half yards in Kansas City on Sunday night, while the Chiefs were able to come back thanks to 208 yards against a gassed Titans defense. The Titans had just one first down.