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NFL Young receivers shine in Titans win over Eagles
MICHEAL COMPTON [email protected] Sep 30, 2018 Updated 1 hr ago
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (84) catches the winning touchdown pass over Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) in overtime of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans won 26-23. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) JEFF NATIONS [email protected]
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota’s weapons in the passing game have been dwindling, with the latest loss coming with veteran Rishard Matthews asking for his release last week.
With Matthews gone and tight end Delanie Walker out for the season with an ankle injury, it meant bigger roles for a trio of younger receivers – Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe.
They passed their frst test in Sunday’s thrilling 26-23 overtime victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at Nissan Stadium with each receiver playing a role.
“It shows a lot about our team,” Taylor said. “We are playing to win and coach always says to play hard. We do it for each other. We all say 'for the boys' in here and I feel this game was defnitely for the boys. We can defnitely build on this. We are feeling good right now.” Davis had 15 targets in the win, hauling in nine passes for 161 yards – including the game- winning 10-yard catch in the back of the end zone that capped a 16-play drive. It was the second-year wideout’s biggest day since being taken by the Titans in the frst round with the ffth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, with Davis tallyng four catches that gained 20 or more yards.
“With Rishard there or not, I kind of looked at myself as a leader and the coaches did too,” Davis said. “Rishard is a great person. I love him, but he made his decision and we had to go with the guys that we had and that’s what we did. I’m proud of those guys. A lot of guys say that we’re young, but we made it happen today.”
Taylor had nine targets, hauling in seven catches for 77 yards against the Eagles. Perhaps the biggest catch from the former Western Kentucky University wide receiver, who the Titans took in the third round in 2017, came during the game-winning drive in overtime when Taylor got free on the sidelines for a 19-yard catch on fourth-and-15. It was one of three fourth-down conversions during the fnal drive.
“That was a great design,” Taylor said. “That could have been the last play of the game. Everybody had to lock in … and make a play there to keep the chains moving.”
Sharpe, the third-year receiver who missed last season with an injury, had three targets. He made the most of the opportunities – catching a 16-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that gave Tennessee a 20-17 lead. The trio combined for 268 of Mariota’s 344 yards passing – with the ofense showing some big-play potential that had been missing in the frst three games in the season. The group is hopeful that Sunday’s success will be the tip of the iceberg for a receiving corps looking to learn under fre.
“I am so proud of this team,” Sharpe said. “That was real gutsy. Everybody on this team, we never quit on each other. We had confdence in ourselves. The coaching staf had ✕ confdence in us to go out there and execute. That’s what we did.”
Micheal Compton Sports Writer. Cover prep sports, Hot Rods baseball, Titans football, and is the Daily News staff film critic.