The Tennessee Titans defeated the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, 31-12.
Looking back at the game, one of the interesting trends from early in the season continued — wide receiver Treylon Burks out-snapped DeAndre Hopkins for the fourth time in as many games. This time, the difference was significant.
On Monday night, Burks took 35 snaps while Hopkins was on the field for only 21 plays. Usually, the snap counts are almost even, but in this contest, Hopkins took a backseat.
Brian Callahan on why so much more Treylon Burks (35 snaps) than DeAndre Hopkins (21). #Titans. pic.twitter.com/vhoTjamj9C
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 1, 2024
Was this because of an injury? The heat? No, that was nowhere near the case.
Head coach Brian Callahan revealed that there was a simple answer and that the answer may need to be dissected during the bye. Burks was on the field to block, not catch passes.
“We rotate those guys. But there are some things Burks does that help us in the running game, with blocking,” Callahan said. “We weren’t throwing the ball, either.”
That explanation would make some sense if the game wasn’t as close as it was. Yes, the Titans ran the ball efficiently, but the game was still close. Plus, this could be a huge flaw in the game plan moving forward, if opponents realize Burks is primarily a blocker, they could start to discount the passing attack.
Callahan did mention that they were going to self-scout over the bye week and they should see this tendency and likely make a change. Unfortunately, for fans, they will have to wait until Week 6 to find out what they discovered.