Tennessee Titans: Turnovers Killed the 2021 Titans, and It Can't Happen Again in 2022
Assessing what went wrong in the Tennessee Titans’ playoff loss to the Bengals isn’t very difficult. The offense turned the ball over three times, and that was the difference, especially since the game was so close⏤a three-point difference. Turnovers didn’t just affect the Titans in the postseason, though. Turnovers were a major problem for the […]
Assessing what went wrong in the Tennessee Titans’ playoff loss to the Bengals isn’t very difficult.
The offense turned the ball over three times, and that was the difference, especially since the game was so close⏤a three-point difference.
Turnovers didn’t just affect the Titans in the postseason, though. Turnovers were a major problem for the offense all season long, and it's the biggest area the unit will have to clean up in 2021.
One could argue, perhaps, that slow starts were the Titans' biggest problem, offensively, in 2021, but in reality, nothing killed the Titans more than their consistent inability to hold onto the football.
Want proof?
When the Titans committed less than THREE turnovers in 2021, their record was 12-1, the only exception being their anomalistic loss to the then-winless Jets in Week Four.
That's a pretty impressive stat, and it's a credit to head coach Mike Vrabel.
If Tennessee held onto the football in 2021, they won almost every time.
Unfortunately, they pretty rarely accomplished that feat.
Six times in 2021, the Titans turned the ball over at least three times. In four games, they committed at least four turnovers.
That led them to a 12-5 regular season. Though it could have been better, and they could have locked up the No. 1 seed ahead of Week 18, that's still a spectacular record.
In the postseason, though, turnovers caused them to flame out quickly and very disappointingly. It prevented a well-built and well-coached team from getting anywhere close to even sniffing the Super Bowl.
What's weird about the Titans' addiction to turnovers in 2021 is that the team was well aware of the problem and even took steps to fix it.
Early in the season, Vrabel added periods to practice for each position group to focus on ball security.
Even before that, the Titans dedicated plenty of time, weekly to having the offense practice turnover avoidance.
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing, a coach in the NFL since 2005, remarked that he'd never before been on a team that focused as much on ball security as the Titans.
Yet, the issue persisted, and it did so in numerous ways.
QB Ryan Tannehill was part of the problem; he threw several bad interceptions throughout the season.
The Titans primary running backs after Derrick Henry went down, D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard, struggled to hold onto the ball.
Several receivers and tight ends committed costly fumbles, too.
Entering 2022, the Titans have to find a way to kick their turnover habit. They'll face a similar fate to the 2021 team if they don't.
Cover image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean
