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Winners and losers from Tennessee Titans walk-off preseason victory over Seahawks

By Sam Phalen,

15 hours ago

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Titans improved to 2-0 on the 2024 preseason in walk-off fashion on Saturday Night.

A game-winning field goal from rookie kicker Brayden Narveson propelled the Titans into the win column. That makes Narveson one of the stars of the evening and one player who represented himself well.

But not everybody had the same fortune. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Titans' 16-15 preseason victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Winners

LB Chance Campbell

It's not exactly a new development that linebacker Chance Campbell is doing himself a lot of favors with his play. But the third-year linebacker got the job done once again on Saturday night.

For the second straight preseason game, Campbell led the Titans in tackles (eight) while recording multiple TFLs.

If Campbell's place on this roster wasn't already cemented, it is now after his efforts against Seattle and the absence of Cedric Gray (shoulder).

OLB Jaylen Harrell

Rookie outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell turned his productive training camp into a two sack game against the Seahawks.

After receiving a load of praise from Titans head coach Brian Callahan in recent weeks, Harrell put on a show in front of the home fans at Nissan Stadium and proved why he belongs on the 53-man roster.

With outside linebacker Arden Key winning his appeal and no longer facing a six-game suspension from the NFL, there will be one less spot available on the Titans' 53-man roster for edge defenders. But that shouldn't have any impact on Harrell's fate after what he showed on Saturday.

The 22-year-old rookie has the upside to be a legitimate three-down edge rusher and contributor in the NFL. That alone is a big win for the Titans in the seventh-round of the draft.

K Brayden Narveson

Undrafted rookie kicker Brayden Narveson has had his share of struggles with accuracy in training camp practices. But none of that mattered on Saturday night when he booted a 59-yard field goal through the uprights of Nissan Stadium to give the Titans the lead in the fourth quarter.

Narveson put the cherry on top with a 46-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. A magical moment for a rookie kicker, even in the preseason.

For what it's worth, Narveson's 59-yard bomb had a lot of distance left in it when it went through the uprights. The rookie might just have the leg to hit from 65+, and that'll get the attention of every NFL GM.

Nick Folk is the kicker in Tennessee. One preseason game is not going to change that and Brian Callahan confirmed as much in his postgame press conference. But with Folk set to turn 40 during the 2024 season, perhaps there's a place for Narveson on the Titans' practice squad.

At the very least, these games are an audition for 31 other teams. Every team with kicking troubles right now might want to check in with Narveson if the Titans try to sneak him through waivers.

Losers

Malik Willis

It was an up and down night for third-year quarterback Malik Willis on Saturday night. I thought Willis looked much better in the second half than he did in the first half and there's no doubt that Willis was not always put in a situation to succeed.

Penalties on the offensive line put Willis behind the chains too frequently. The run game was not very effective while Willis was on the field. It can also be difficult to mount momentum when you are being subbed out after two drives to rotate with Mason Rudolph.

Willis was not bad by any means, but when it came down to it, he made a mistake and threw an interception with less than four minutes to go that could have lost the Titans the game. On the other hand, Rudolph led the Titans down the field for a game-winning field goal and had the only touchdown of the night.

Situationally, Rudolph was more sound. He's the QB2 for Tennessee and Willis did nothing on Saturday to change the status quo. But did he do enough to hold his place on the 53-man roster? That question will be answered in the coming weeks.

WR Kearis Jackson

Kearis Jackson might have been the biggest winner from the preseason opener against San Francisco, but the second-year wide receiver did not fair as well on Saturday night.

While Jackson did have one solid kick return of 30 yards in the game, he was not targeted a single time on offense and left the game early with a knee injury.

Brian Callahan told the media after the game that Jackson's injury is "not serious." I don't expect him to miss any time, but he still missed out on a big opportunity in Saturday's win.

Jha'Quan Jackson led the team in both catches and receiving yards, proving he can get it done on offense as well as special teams.

Kearis Jackson isn't a "loser" because of anything he has done...It's simply the unfortunate timing of his injury paired with the excellence of a guy he's competing with. I think his shot at making the 53-man roster diminished on Saturday night, and that's what matters at the end of the day.