Of all the teams currently sitting in or around a playoff spot, none of them are in a worse way right now than the Tennessee Titans.
Not only are the Titans the most injured team in the NFL, they’re also coming off three-straight losses, two of which were blowouts, and one of those blowouts came in the wake of the team firing its general manager.
All that and we haven’t even mentioned the talent this team is lacking in some key areas.
Enter the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that has won two of its last three and is starting to get healthy at the right time. Also, it just so happens that the Chargers are the worst possible matchup for the Titans.
We’ll cover why that’s the case and more as we take a look at the Titans’ reasons for optimism and concern going into a Week 15 battle with the Chargers.
Concern: Titans' Injuries
The Titans look set to get at least a few players back this week after Zach Cunningham and Lonnie Johnson were designated to return from IR, and Tre Avery turned in a full practice on Thursday.
However, the statuses of Treylon Burks, Kristian Fulton, Denico Autry, Jeffery Simmons and Amani Hooker are all up in the air — and those are on top of David Long being out for his second-straight game while on IR.
Burks, Fulton, Simmons and Hooker all sat out practice on Thursday, and while Autry has practiced two days in a row, both sessions were limited.
Tennessee’s defense has been badly exposed without Fulton and Autry in recent weeks, and I shudder to think what things will be like if Simmons and/or Hooker are also out against an elite Chargers passing attack.
Obviously, Burks’ return would be huge for this offense, but chances are the Titans won’t be able to keep up with the Chargers even if he plays.
Optimism: Chargers' run defense
The Titans’ rushing attack finally showed some signs of life in Week 14 after Derrick Henry ran for 121 yards, but most of that came in the first quarter when Henry rushed for 96.
Aside from that quarter, it has been a wasteland on the ground for the Titans the last five weeks, mostly because of a bad offensive line (more to come).
For a run-first team like the Titans, this is actually a favorable matchup, with the Chargers ranked 28th against the run in 2022. Even still, there’s no guarantee the Titans will be able to take advantage.
Concern: Titans' offensive line
Why is there no guarantee the Titans will take advantage of the Chargers’ poor run defense? Because, quite frankly, the offensive line is bad.
On top of run-blocking issues that have now been prevalent for much of the season, Tennessee’s group upfront hasn’t been good in pass protection, with the unit giving up 35 sacks (10th-most) and allowing Ryan Tannehill to be under pressure all season long.
The left side is the one the Chargers will want to try and exploit the most, as Aaron Brewer has struggled all season long, only to be outdone by Dennis Daley, who is the worst starting left tackle in the NFL.
Los Angeles’ pass-rush ranks bottom-five in sacks, but this Tennessee offensive line can make any front-seven look good.
The Titans will likely need to score a lot of points to win this game with all the injuries on defense, but this team can’t hope to do that with how badly this offensive line has played in both phases.
Concern: Chargers' passing attack
The Titans have gotten shredded through the air these last three weeks, and thanks to injuries and a matchup with an elite passing attack like the Chargers’, things don’t figure to get any better in Week 15.
While coverage has certainly been an issue, a big part of Tennessee’s problems against the pass come from the team’s inability to get pressure, which has been a struggle without Autry in the lineup.
The Chargers sport the third-best passing attack in the NFL, led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert, and a very good trio of receivers in Mike Williams, Keenan Allen and Josh Palmer.
Williams in particular will be a nightmare matchup, as his size and ability to make contested catches is the kind of skill set that has given the Titans’ secondary fits all season long.
Add to that the fact that the Titans might be without their best cornerback and one or more of their top pass-rushers and it gets even harder to see how Tennessee does enough to keep this unit in check on Sunday.
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, Herbert is capable of taking off with the ball and picking up gains with his legs, which is yet another thing the Titans have struggled to contain this season.
Optimism: Margin for error
With not many reasons for optimism going into Week 15, we turn to the Titans’ overall outlook in the division.
While a fourth-straight loss would be brutal and add to fears about a potential collapse in the AFC South, the Titans would still control their own destiny no matter what happens with the Jaguars and Colts.
Of course, a Titans loss and Jaguars win would move Jacksonville to just one game back, but the Jaguars also have to beat one of the better teams in the NFL to get there, the Dallas Cowboys.
Meanwhile, the Colts draw a contest against another one of the league’s better teams, the Minnesota Vikings.
Even if the worst-case scenario plays out and the Titans lose while the Jags and Colts win, Tennessee would still be in first place with a matchup against the worst team in the NFL, the Houston Texans, on tap.
So, there is margin for error in Week 15, but there won’t be much after that if the Jags gain a game on the Titans.
