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Femi Oladejo Heaps Praise on Titans Teammates After Crucial TD
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- Femi Oladejo Heaps Praise on Titans Teammates After Crucial TD
(David Gonzales-Imagn Images)
The Tennessee Titans had to rely on special teams to score points in Week 6 .
The unit delivered in a big way many times throughout the second half.
Chimere Dike finally broke through for a big return after not playing much of a role in most games so far. He returned a punt in the fourth quarter for 58 yards, which put the Titans at the Indianapolis Colts' 28-yard line.
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Dike's returning skills had been missed. We finally got to see his Pro Bowl self from his rookie year.
The Titans responded with a scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Cam Ward to Carnell Tate, tying the game 13-13.
The game really flipped on the following drive. The Titans' defense continued its stellar play and got a stop. The Colts were forced to punt from their own side of the field.
Femi Oladejo blocked the punt and recovered it for a touchdown, giving the Titans a 20-13 lead. The Colts tied the game at 20 on their next drive before the Titans took the lead back with two late field goals from Joey Slye.
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Tennessee's defense stopped Indianapolis twice in the final two minutes to secure a 26-20 win.
Oladejo's touchdown was massive for the Titans. As expected, media members surrounded him after the win.
Instead of taking all the credit himself, he made sure that his teammates got plenty of praise too. The touchdown wouldn't have been possible without James Williams Sr. and Julius Chestnut, who blocked the punt.
Oladejo shouted out Williams and Chestnut for their part in the play.
"I just picked up the ball and ran," Oladejo said. "That simple. I mean, shout out to James and Juice [Julius Chestnut] for making the big play at the right time, blocking the punt, and I was in the right place at the right time, saw the ball bounce, scooped it up, and went for the touchdown."
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Williams and Chestnut have slowly turned into special teams players for the Titans. Chestnut has been one of special teams coordinator John Fassel's favorite players since he joined the organization last year.
On Sunday, we saw how players like Williams and Chestnut can be extremely valuable.
For Oladejo, he had to learn a new position this offseason.
The Titans drafted him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He played outside linebacker in college, and he continued in that role with the Titans.
He learned Denard Wilson's defense as a rookie, but then Brian Callahan was fired. Robert Saleh came in and changed the Titans from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense, converting outside linebackers into edge rushers.
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He made the Titans roster, but with how much depth the team has at edge rusher, we've started to see him get more special teams snaps.
Special teams players like Oladejo, Chestnut, and Williams are often overlooked, but as we saw on Sunday, they can have a big impact on game outcomes.
