Rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger had a decent first game for the Tennessee Titans Sunday, throwing for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while completing 27 of 41 passes. Unfortunately, the Titans fell to the Texans 30-16, and much of Mettenberger's production came with the game already out of hand.
But coach Ken Whisenhunt is prepared to continue working with Mettenberger during the team's bye week.
"We're working on third downs and we're working on red zone," Whisenhunt said. "I think what we are going to do is narrow down some of the plays we have and get more reps at them. So that we can process the reads and be more detailed in what we are trying to accomplish with those routes."
Tennessee wants to continue to test out the sixth-round passer out of LSU to see if he can be their starting quarterback next year.
ESPN's Matt Williamson believes Mettenberger's skill set could become valuable for fantasy owners down the road.
"Mettenberger's numbers in his first start look better than how he actually played," Williamson wrote. "And he will make plenty of mistakes this season. But Mettenberger has a huge arm, great size and will stand in the pocket in the face of a rush to complete a pass. Right now, the Titans, who are sure to pick very high in next year's draft, are auditioning Mettenberger to see if they should use that early pick on a quarterback or not. This isn't to say that taking a quarterback in next year's draft wouldn't be the right call, but Mettenberger does have the ability to make believers out of the Titans' decision-makers these next few weeks, and this offense has some young talent at the skill positions and offensive line to potentially develop into something down the road."
For now, try and manage your fantasy expectations for Tennessee's offense as the rookie gets comfortable at the pro level.
The Titans will play the Baltimore Ravens next on Nov. 9.
