Kevin Byard: We knew Baker Mayfield would give us chances to make plays

[T-Rac]

Getty Images

The Titans shockingly manhandled the Browns on Sunday. The outcome wasn’t a shock to the Titans.

Safety Kevin Byard told PFT by phone after Sunday’s 43-13 win that the Titans were ready to prove that they are in the process of going from “a good football team to a great football team.” And while the incessant Browns hype may have provided a degree of mild irritation to the Titans, this one was about setting the tone for 2019.

As to Cleveland, the plan for shutting down a potent offense was simple.

“Baker [Mayfield] is a gunslinger,” Byard said. “We knew he’d give us throws and that we’d have a chance to make plays.”

They made plays in the form of three interceptions. It could have been worse.

“We could have had five,” Byard said.

Assisting the cause was the defensive game called by coordinator Dean Pees, something Byard specifically praised.

“We ran every single coverage in the books,” Byard said. They also played a “physical, gritty game” (per Byard), but they’ll soon wipe it from their memories.

“When we get back on the plane we’re going to focus on the Colts,” Byard said regarding Tennessee’s Week Two opponent. The Titans definitely have given the Colts plenty to think about, as if the Colts didn’t already have enough to ponder as they embark on a season without Andrew Luck.