The Tennessee Titans needed a win in the worst way in Week 14 after two straight losses and firing their general manager, but instead they were soundly beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, 36-22.
It was a comedy of errors for the Titans, who turned the ball over four times and couldn’t stop a nosebleed on defense. It was a strange role reversal for a Tennessee team that usually dominates Jacksonville.
Titans fans at Nissan Stadium rightly booed their team after the embarrassing showing, and one can only hope those boos will spring owner Amy Adams Strunk and head coach Mike Vrabel to make further changes.
Of course, the most obvious ones are firing offensive coordinator Todd Downing and replacing Dennis Daley at left tackle.
We’ll take both, please.
As we continue to hope for some more heads to roll this week, let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from what was no doubt Tennessee’s worst defeat of the 2022 campaign thus far.
Injuries too much to overcome
The Titans’ defense was absolutely shredded through the air in Week 14, and while normally a 36-point outburst from an opposing offense would be cause for concern, context is important.
Tennessee was missing David Long, which impacted their defense over the middle of the field, and their pass-rush and secondary was greatly impacted by the absences of Denico Autry and Kristian Fulton, respectively.
Not having Autry has been particularly bad, especially considering nobody has stepped up with him out. The Titans didn’t notch a single sack on Sunday, and they only hit Trevor Lawrence once. In the three games without Autry, Tennessee has just three sacks.
On offense, the absence of Treylon Burks is always impactful, but it wasn’t as glaring as in games past, as it was really the turnovers that doomed the Tennessee offense on Sunday.
The Titans have been great at overcoming injuries in the last few years, but it’s clear there is a limit for the 2022 team, and that limit was hit on Sunday.
Turnovers were the difference
For an offense and team that is already struggling, the Titans can ill-afford to be giving possessions away, and especially ones that put their defense in a bad spot or thwart potential scoring drives.
The Titans did all of that on Sunday.
Tennessee turned the ball over in Jaguars territory three times, halting a trio of potential scoring drives, and the Titans lost the ball in their own territory once. Jacksonville ended up scoring 20 points off those turnovers.
Had the Titans even finished two of those drives in Jags territory, this game probably goes very differently. Instead, Tennessee continuously shot itself in the foot en route to a deserved blowout loss.
But it wasn’t just about the turnovers on offense. The Titans’ defense once again failed to create any for the third straight game.
Offensive line's (and Dennis Daley's) woes continue
It looked like the offensive line was going to get back on track in Week 14 after Derrick Henry had a monster first quarter, but that quickly faded in the three quarters that followed, as Henry tallied just 25 yards the rest of the way.
Pass protection was even worse, as Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times and hit nine times in total.
Dennis Daley was responsible for two of those sacks, one of which led to a fumble that ultimately sparked a Jaguars touchdown drive that started in Tennessee territory.
What makes the sack/fumble play even worse is the fact that Chig Okonkwo actually chipped the defender, yet Daley still wasn’t able to make the block.
At this point, the Titans have nothing to lose at left tackle. Daley is the worst starter at that position in the NFL, so it’s only up from here should the Titans decide to make a change. Continuing not to do so just makes no sense.
Titans still in control of AFC South
While it feels like the sky is falling in Nashville right now, just remember that it’s still highly unlikely the Titans blow their lead.
According to the New York Times’ playoff predictor, the Titans have a 90 percent chance to make the playoffs and an 89 percent chance to win the division.
Tennessee’s magic number over Jacksonville is at three, while its magic number over the Colts is two.
There is, however, a potential scenario in which the Titans might have to play a winner-take-all game in Week 18 against the Jags, but that would take a lot.
Tennessee would have to lose three straight, Jacksonville would have to win three straight, and the Colts would have to lose one game the rest of the way. Unlikely, but with the way things are going in Nashville, certainly not impossible.
This loss doesn't change much
Other than adding a bit more worry to the Titans’ divisional outlook, did this loss really change anything?
We already knew the Titans weren’t very good, and then you add in the fact that the defense was severely injured and it’s not entirely surprising the way this game turned out.
Tennessee is still in great shape to win one of the worst divisions in football, but we know the team is not equipped to do much else. So, again, this loss really changes nothing.
