Injury trouble defined the second half of Ryan Tannehill‘s Dolphins run, but the former first-round pick had enjoyed a good run of health during his first three seasons with the Titans. That has come to an end during a turbulent 2022 season for the AFC South leaders.
Tennessee’s starting quarterback aggravated his ankle injury in Los Angeles, leaving the field on a cart Sunday. Although the 11th-year passer returned to action at less than 100%, his status is very much in doubt for Week 16. Tannehill is facing an uphill battle to suit up against the Texans on Christmas Eve, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link).
While the Titans have lost Tannehill’s past four starts and went 1-1 with Malik Willis under center, the latter’s raw form as a passer has significantly limited Tennessee’s offense during his cameos this season. The Titans beat the Texans with Willis last month, when Tannehill missed time with this ankle problem, but the third-round pick completed 6 of 10 passes for 55 yards in the game. As the Titans built a lead on the Chiefs despite being heavy underdogs in Week 9, Willis was just 5 of 16 in the game and struggled throughout the second half.
Tannehill came back in Week 10 to lead the Titans to wins over the Broncos and Packers, but Tennessee’s offense — one that has rarely received notable contributions from its injury-plagued receiving corps — has been unable to match playoff contenders during the team’s four-game skid. For the season, Tannehill has thrown 13 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He has upped his yards per attempt (7.8) from last season (7.0), but his QBR is down. The 34-year-old veteran ranks 23rd in that metric exiting Week 15.
The Titans hold a one-game lead on the Jaguars but must face both the Cowboys and Jags in the season’s final two weeks. FiveThirtyEight still gives Tennessee a 57% chance to hold off Jacksonville in the AFC South, but Tannehill’s availability will be crucial for the team to do so.
