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Tennessee Titans stomp Tampa Bay Buccaneers to open 2015 season

By Luke Sims

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The Tennessee Titans may not have had much hope during the 2014 season, but after the 2015 season opener they have plenty.

With Marcus Mariota’s perfect passer rating the main focus of the game, it’s tough to discern just how well the Tennessee Titans came out on Sunday.

The Titans currently sit atop the AFC South as the only 1-0 team. The Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans all managed to lose the season opener so the Titans command the division (for now).

While that sounds incredibly nice for now, the more impressive thing is just how in command they seemed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs are still reeling after a 2014 that left them completely out of sorts. The Titans were supposed to be the same way. Instead, we saw a 42-14 drubbing of the Bucs at the hands of Ken Whisenhunt and company.

Jumping out to an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter, the Tennessee Titans never looked back. They finished the first half up 35-7. Mariota was particularly impressive, but so was running back Bishop Sankey. Snaky racked up 74 yards on 12 attempts for the Titans.

While the Buccaneers struggled to find their footing, the Titans kept the pressure on. They only added another seven points in the second half, but they also managed to keep rookie quarterback Jameis Winston off balance (two interceptions on the day, just a 48.5% completion percentage) and limit Doug Martin (52 yards on 11 carries).

The Tennessee defense was particularly tenacious as well. Along with the picks of Winston, they also sacked him four times and forced a fumble. They tacked on their own seven points, proving the ability to score.

It was a particularly impressive win that showed progress from last season for the Titans. It looks even better for Titans fans due to the stark contrast between the Titans’ lofty position in the division and that of the Jags, Colts, and Texans for now.

Enjoy it while it lasts, Titans fans.

Next: Jaguars lose to Panthers 20-9

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