Opinion·Film
5x Champs Sat Shough’s 23.2 and Started the Titans
Tyler Shough outscored Joe Burrow from the bench. Titans defense went negative. The rest of the lineup didn’t have enough to cover it.
Hank Calder|NFL / Film|September 14, 2026|5 min
Thinks Thomas is the most interesting roster in the room.
Mcfussdaddy started Joe Burrow (14.16) and sat Tyler Shough (23.2). He also started the Titans, who finished at minus-one, while the Patriots sat on the bench with seven. James Cook had 6.9. Tee Higgins 5.9. DeVonta Smith 5.3. That’s a lot of names for 92 points.
Would flipping Shough in have beaten 137? No. Nathan was having one of those weeks. But it would have made this look like a loss instead of a collapse, and that’s the part I keep coming back to. This club still has Burrow, Cook, JSN, Higgins, Warren. The roster isn’t the problem. The lock button on Sunday might be.
You can’t leave 23 points on the bench and then tell me about 2016.
Week 2 is the first one they play from 0–1. That’s new for this particular brand. I’m not going to pretend I feel bad about it.
