NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans spent the offseason reconstructing their team in order to have a smash-mouth running offense.
In a 27-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers in the preseason opener for both teams, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry combined for 167 of the Titans' 288 rushing yards and two touchdowns Saturday night.
On a pretty first-quarter touchdown, Murray turned the left corner, evaded Adrian Phillips' attempt to grab his feet and sprinted 71 yards to the end zone.
"It was a great blocking job by the offensive line and the receivers, tight ends," Murray said. "It was a power play, so they caved the entire side and the linebacker sprinted over to the right. I felt it, and I felt the backside A-gap. [Dorial Green-Beckham] made a hell of a block as a receiver. Those are how big plays -- especially run plays -- that's how they break, by receivers blocking downfield. Him and Harry [Douglas] did a great job, and obviously Marcus [Mariota] got us in the right look."
Henry carried the ball on seven of nine plays and accounted for 56 yards on a second-quarter TD drive.
"I feel good as an offense and how we did," Henry said. "That's how we want it to look. It started with the O-line. They took pride in it and really did a good job."
The Titans didn't need to throw much, with just 10 first-half attempts.
Mariota said the line set the tone "from the get-go."
"It's only the first game, but it's been kind of a common trend throughout training camp and I was happy to see it on the field," he said. "I think it's a confidence-booster. Guys are starting to believe in what's going on around here."
QB depth chart: Mariota hit on all five of his passes for 45 yards and a 104.2 passer rating, with a 31-yard connection to Tajae Sharpe. Matt Cassel was 3-of-5 for 55 yards with a 97.9 rating. Alex Tanney worked the entire second half, completing 6 of 10 passes for 67 yards. He was sacked twice, and one of those was due to the shutdown coverage.
Maybe that player could start: Nate Palmer is not going to get ahead of Avery Williamson at his inside-linebacker spot. But Palmer was second on the team in the first half with three tackles (behind Williamson, who had four) and can play inside and out. If the Titans suffer the wrong injury, Palmer is looking like quality insurance. And he'll be a key special teamer.
Who got hurt? Rookie receiver Sharpe, who has been a starter since the spring, was being assessed for a concussion.
Two surprise players who impressed: The Titans got big plays from rookie safety Kevin Byard and young linebacker Justin Staples in the second half. Byard picked off Zach Mettenberger, and Staples tipped a Mike Bercovici pass to himself for a pick that set up Bishop Sankey for a slashing, 41-yard touchdown run.
When it was starters vs. starters, the Titans looked ... strong running the ball, slow-starting on defense. We've covered the great work by Murray and Henry. The first-team defense was terrible on the Chargers' first possession. The unit gave up a third-and-15 pass of 20 yards from Philip Rivers to Keenan Allen followed by a 44-yard, screen-pass TD to Melvin Gordon. "We want to go out there and start the game a lot better than we did tonight," cornerback Jason McCourty said. San Diego quarterbacks Rivers and Kellen Clemens weren't sacked; the first-team pass rush didn't make any noise.
One reason to be concerned: Penalties weren't good, especially in the red zone. On the drive in which Henry scored, the Titans advanced the ball to the 1-yard line and moved back 15 yards because of unsportsmanlike conduct against Anthony Fasano. Ben Jones was called for holding on the next play. Taylor Lewan encountered a familiar nemesis, illegal hands to the face, but the call against him later in the second quarter was declined. Coach Mike Mularkey was unhappy with the penalties, but he seemed pleased the offense overcame them.
Kickoff return plan: The Titans' kickoff-return strategy is interesting. Henry lined up in front of Tre McBride. Kick short and the rookie can deliver a punishing return. Go deeper and you get a more conventional guy. The trouble is, the ball went to McBride, and Henry hardly looks comfortable as an up-back leading him.
Swing tackle: Left guard Quinton Spain was the only offensive line starter who didn't play all the way to the half. That's because he was on the field to start the third quarter as the second-team left tackle. Josue Matias has been the No. 2 left tackle, but he's dealing with a knee injury and didn't dress. He could need patella surgery. Another inexperienced guy, Will Poehls, is the second right tackle. So the Titans are searching for their No. 3 swing tackle.
