NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vontae Davis knew he’d have tough days as a rookie cornerback.
Davis said Sunday was one of his tougher ones.
“And I’m probably gonna have a lot more of them,” he said. “It’s the same with every cornerback in the league.”
Davis’ struggles on Sunday kick off Monday’s talking points.
1. Cornerback Vontae Davis has been one of the NFL’s top defensive rookies, but he picked a bad time for one of his worst games.
Houston All-Pro Andre Johnson is up next.
Davis had an interception on the Titans’ opening series, but eventually allowed two touchdowns and was whistled for a penalty during Sunday’s loss.
If he can’t stop Justin Gage and Nate Washington, Davis could have a long day against Johnson, who has 20 catches for 389 yards and two TDs the past two games.
Davis won’t back down. Since he stepped into the starting line-up on Nov. 1 against the Jets, Davis has faced Randy Moss twice, Steve Smith and Terrell Owens.
But the Titans’ middle-tier WRs and QB Vince Young’s perfect throws humbled Davis a bit on Sunday.
2. Right tackle Vernon Carey’s sore back is causing problems for Chad Henne.
Slowed by a bad back, Carey hasn’t looked like himself lately, allowing a total of two sacks in the past two games. Carey also was whistled for holding in Nashville.
The 340-pound Carey is more powerful than light on his feet, but he seems to be a little late at times in his pass blocking.
But Carey’s mouth seemed to be working fine because he was complaining to officials to all day.
3. Linebacker Jason Taylor looked rejuvenated.
Taylor, 35, had his best game in more than a month, finishing with a season-high six tackles, including his first full sack since Oct. 25 against New Orleans. He also forced a fumble – the 37th in his career.
Taylor had 5 1/2 sacks in the season’s first six games and looked like a player with a lot less mileage on him. Lately, Taylor’s lack of production made some wonder if he was slowing down in his 13th season.
Sunday, Taylor was all over the field and nearly came up with a fumble in overtime that could have led to the winning touchdown. Officials whistled the play dead and the Titans kicked the game-winning field goal two plays later.
