Carnell Tate Not Letting First-Half Blunder Ruin Historic Day

The Tennessee Titans had a receiver do something pretty special on Sunday. 

This franchise has struggled to find consistency at receiver since A.J. Brown was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. 

There have been bright spots here and there. DeAndre Hopkins had a 1,000-yard season in 2023, and Calvin Ridley did the same in 2024. 

Receiver has been a position that's been very hit or miss for the Titans in recent history. 

Carnell Tate is the solution to that problem. 

He nearly had a breakout game in Week 3 against the New York Giants. He got open plenty, but the Titans couldn't get the ball to him as much as they would've liked. 

Tate had six catches for 58 receiving yards, but you felt like he was on the brink of something special. Tate then had a true breakout game on Sunday. 

He led the Titans with nine catches for 145 receiving yards in the 24-18 loss. It was the first time that a Titans receiver had a 100-yard game since Calvin Ridley (131) did against the Arizona Cardinals last year. 

There was one play that could've really dampened Tate's spirits in the first half.  Cam Ward threw a strike to Tate that missed the hands of two Ravens defenders. 

Tate caught the pass and ran up the sideline, looking like it would put the Titans in field-goal range just before halftime. Tennessee was down 21-7 and could've really used points before the third quarter. 

Ravens' safety Kyle Hamilton tackled Tate from behind and forced a fumble, as the Titans missed a chance to get more points before halftime. 

On the sidelines, Tate laughed off the play and moved on. He was asked about this in the locker room afterward. 

Tate's mindset on Sunday goes back to his days at Ohio State. He realized what he did wrong and focused on getting to the next play when the offense was back on the field. 

"It's like me," Tate said. "I got the same demeanor from Ohio State. I mean, I just go laugh off bad plays. I mean, at the end of the day, you got to go out there and play the next play. You can't let the last play affect the next play. So, just got out there, laugh it off, stay loose and stay in the game." 

Even though the Titans lost 24-18, this was a welcome showing from Tate. This is why the Titans used the No. 4 overall pick on him instead of a defensive player. 

The Titans wanted to take the player they thought was the best available at the time. Tate is getting better and better each game. 

This was the first 100-yard game of his Titans career, and it definitely won't be the last, given how he carried himself after the fumble. 

This could be the start of some really solid performances for the rookie.