Tennessee Titans grades: A few blips, but overall an above average day against Panthers

The Tennessee Titans didn't play their best Sunday, but luckily they didn't need their best to beat the NFL's worst team.

The Titans outlasted the Carolina Panthers 17-10 at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, muddling through the second half after building a 14-point halftime lead. The Titans (4-7) struggled at times in all phases but still did enough to hold on to their lead and prevent the Panthers from launching a true comeback attempt.

Here are The Tennessean's grades for Sunday's Titans win.

Offense: C+

Will Levis and the offense were efficient and controlled the clock, even if Levis' customary big plays weren't easy to come by. The pass protection wasn't great, Derrick Henry took a little while to get going, third-down conversions were a rarity and Levis threw a couple of questionable passes into tight windows. Doing enough to win is a virtue, though, and the offense managed.

Defense: B

The pass rush woke up, sacking Bryce Young a few times and forcing the rookie quarterback to throw the ball away on scrambles outside the pocket as well. The run defense held up with the exception of a couple of Young improvisations. Penalties in the secondary extended drives, continuing a season-long trend. But the Panthers never really beat the Titans over the top, keeping the grade pretty high.

Special teams: B+

A holding penalty negated a nice punt return and the Panthers had some success returning kickoffs. But this grade is high because, as has been the case most of this season, kicker Nick Folk and punter Ryan Stonehouse have been excellent. Folk nailed a 53-yard field goal right before halftime and Stonehouse pinned five punts inside the 20-yard line to flip field position.

Coaching: B+

Give Titans coach Mike Vrabel credit for keeping his offense on the field for a fourth-and-inches deep in Titans territory in a scoreless game, a conversion that led to the Titans' first touchdown. And the clock management that led to Folk's field goal before the half was impressive as well, especially when it came to deciding to decline a defensive penalty.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans grades: Above average showing vs. Panthers