The Titans were at a crossroads, and they're going the wrong direction
It was just one week ago, after an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, that Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel stood in front of his players to identify what was a "crossroads" in their season. The Titans were losers of two straight and getting significantly outplayed by most competitive teams on their schedule, but […]
It was just one week ago, after an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, that Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel stood in front of his players to identify what was a "crossroads" in their season.
The Titans were losers of two straight and getting significantly outplayed by most competitive teams on their schedule, but still believed they would answer back from the adversity. The way Vrabel put it, it was time for the players and staff to decide which way they wanted the 2022 season to go. Would they finish strong and stay focused on their championship goals, or lay down and get run over?
Tennessee chose the latter on Sunday, as the Titans got boat raced on their home field by the 4-8 Jacksonville Jaguars, losing 36-22.
Wrong Direction
The Titans simply played uninspired football on Sunday.
Tennessee was sloppy, losing the turnover battle 4-0 with an interception and three fumbles on the afternoon. Two of those turnovers were committed on a 1st & 10 in Jaguars territory, and likely took some points off the board. In total, Jacksonville put up 20 points on drives that followed a Titans turnover.
Pass protection for Ryan Tannehill was once again a failure, as the left tackle position continues to be an issue. The Titans defensive front was hardly ever able to effect Trevor Lawrence in the pocket, and athletic tight end Evan Engram proved to be a matchup nightmare for Tennessee without David Long Jr. on the field.
For a team that was left at a crossroads last week, it feels like the Titans are headed down the wrong path. With the way they have played lately, it's not impossible to see a scenario where Jacksonville overtakes the Titans for the AFC South title by the end of the season. Sure, that may be a long shot, but a team that looked like a shoe-in to win 11 or 12 games just three weeks ago now feels like they'd be lucky to finish over .500.
"We will all evaluate," said Vrabel after the game. "I was excited about coming back home and excited about playing against a division opponent. I thought we were prepared. I don't know what it says about this. We understand that there are going to be some ups and downs. We are going to have to be able to weather the storm and find out who is willing to give us that extra push here down the stretch."
Just like Vrabel, the overwhelming sense from the locker room was that Titans players were not hiding from the frustration or concerns regarding the team. When asked about the crossroads the team was faced with, and the direction things are heading, Titans safety Kevin Byard stepped up to the plate and said what everyone was thinking:
The Titans are moving in the wrong direction.
"Well we're definitely in a situation where, at this point in the year, we talk about teams that are getting better trying to get to the playoff push and some teams aren't," Byard told the media. "I think we're trending in the opposite direction. That's clear based upon the performance we put out there the past three weeks."
Byard did clarify, though, that acknowledging issues or concerns does not mean the team is conceding moving forward. It's not worth dwelling on when you have a month of football left to be played.
"At the end of the day, I'm not about to sit out here and pout around or give that type of energy to it. I'm just going to go in the building tomorrow, watch the film, and stand on it. Stand on the performance we put out here," Byard continued. "It's all about how we respond at this point. It's not about pouting or pointing fingers, that's not going to do anything. We've still got four more games left. We've got to find a way to start winning some ball games."
The Titans can't think about this one for too long. They have a trip to Los Angeles and a date with the Chargers next weekend, and a daunting matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on the 29th.
Things are not going to get any easier, so if Tennessee still wants to play meaningful playoff football and regain the trust of their fans, something will need to change.
Unfortunately, that looks like it's a tall order at this point.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
