I’m not sure everybody realizes how good Ryan Tannehill has been in a Tennessee Titans uniform. Part of it is that Derrick Henry is a beast who opens up all sorts of other opportunities, and defenses focus on trying to limit his rushing prowess. Another part of it is that the Titans don’t exactly have a ton of national TV exposure.
However, as CBS Sports noted today, when you look at their last 24 games, Tannehill low-key has similar stats to Patrick Mahomes:
How good has Ryan Tannehill been since taking over for Titans 24 games ago?
Tannehill Mahomes (last 24 games)
114 QB Rating 105.9
6,080 Pass Yds 6,983
61 Total TD 56
10 INT 10
67.7 Cmp % 66.4 pic.twitter.com/eYW6h4Lvdm— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) December 21, 2020
Look, I don’t think you’d find any sane human who would trade Mahomes for Tannehill. When they played head-to-head in the AFC title game last season, Mahomes threw for 85 more yards, 1.7 more yards per attempt, and one more touchdown. The Chiefs beat the Titans 35-24. However, these stats do illustrate that Tannehill has played much better in a Titans uniform than you may reflexively realize.
This probably proves more that Adam Gase is a QB killer as a coach.
Could we see the same thing happen to Sam Darnold if he gets a coach who doesn’t look like he’s been out on an all night coke bender?