Category: Titans Wire Features

Titans vs. Chargers: 3 causes for concern in Week 10

The Tennessee Titans square off in a Sunday battle against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. Here are three reasons for concern.

The Tennessee Titans head west on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Riding the momentum of their overtime win over the New England Patriots last week, the Titans look to continue their winning ways on the road.

But the 5-3 Chargers have their own agenda on Sunday, and they aren’t going down without a fight. The Chargers’ defense is tougher than the Patriots’ defense, and their offense is led by a more experienced quarterback in Justin Herbert than the Titans’ faced in Drake Maye.

This week’s matchup is different in a lot of ways, and while any team can win on any day, there are three causes for concern for the Titans heading into Week 10.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Continued quarterback controversy

Even though Mason Rudolph was the quarterback in both of the Titans’ victories, head coach Brian Callahan still says that Will Levis will play if he’s healthy. Levis has been sidelined with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. He returned after the bye week and failed to defeat the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s been on the injury report ever since.

The biggest problem with this scenario this week is that Lloyd Cushenberry, the Titans’ reliable center, is done for the season with an Achilles injury. So on top of not being sure who will be throwing the ball on Sunday, the Titans don’t know who will play center either. If Dillon Radunz is healthy, Daniel Brunskill gets the nod. If not, we see Corey Levin again, which did not go well last week.

The Titans’ offense has some critical questions to answer before kickoff on Sunday, and preparing for a game in these circumstances is less than ideal.

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Injuries continue to pile up

As mentioned above, Lloyd Cushenberry left last week’s game with an Achilles injury and his season is over. But he’s not the only one who’s dealing with an injury. The Titans have a slew of players on both sides of the ball with some kind of injury. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley have been playing through injury, and so have Amani Hooker and T’Vondre Sweat. Three of the four offensive players on injured reserve are offensive linemen, and there are five additional players with a questionable status.

On defense, there are six players on injured reserve and two more with a questionable designation.

The Titans can barely field a team at this point, and while they managed to eke out a win last week, it’s not likely to be the same story this week

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Chargers are not the Patriots

The Chargers are a much more established team than the Patriots. The Titans managed to overcome the Patriots in overtime, but the Chargers’ defense is much stronger. The Titans’ offensive line is in shambles, and they don’t know who the quarterback will be. The Chargers will exploit that and do everything they can to get to the quarterback. And, depending on who the quarterback is, they might find success.

L’Jarius Sneed sitting out with injury for a couple of weeks has paved the way for Amani Hooker and Mike Brown to make some plays, but the Titans would really like to get Sneed back on the field. The defensive front, save for T’Vondre Sweat, is relatively healthy, and the Titans will rely heavily on their strongest piece. But they can’t do it all, either.

The Chargers are one of those teams that is hard to gauge this season because of who they’ve played. Still, it won’t be an easy task for the Titans to walk away with a win on the road. We’ll see if they’re up to the task on Sunday.

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Gimme Him: One player Titans would steal from Chargers

The Tennessee Titans need some help on offense making this an easy target to grab off the Los Angeles Chargers’ roster.

Coming off a big win, the Tennessee Titans (2-6) will be back on the field Sunday when they face the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) in Week 9 action.

That, of course, provides those of us here at Titans Wire the opportunity to hypothetically steal from the Chargers’ roster in search of depth and/or talent upgrades.

The Titans still have issues and could use an infusion of talent at many positions. Coming off an overtime win against the New England Patriots, the team finally overcame second-half implosions to pull out a win.

The Chargers are a physical and tough football team and will be returning home after traveling to the East Coast for an impressive 27-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Their offense is starting to gel and their defense is opportunistic.

This debate came down to two players that would make a ton of sense for the Titans: Offensive tackle Joe Alt and quarterback Justin Herbert.

While Tennessee does have a hole at right tackle and Alt would be a huge upgrade and fill that spot for a long time, solving the quarterback situation for the long term is more of a priority.

Herbert would instantly upgrade the quarterback position for now and in the future. The fifth-year quarterback is big, strong, and athletic. Yes, his statistics are down a bit in 2024 with the Chargers’ run-first approach, but Herbert is elite. He has completed 65 percent of his passes (145-of-223) for 1,715 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception on the season, numbers that dwarf everything the Titans have put on the field.

Will Levis may return this week, and Mason Rudolph has been solid in his absence, but a top-tier quarterback would go a long way in making the Titans more than just competitive. With average quarterback play, they would be battling the Houston Texans at the top of the division not the Patriots for the top pick in the draft.

What are your thoughts, Titans fans? Would you pick Justin Herbert or steal an entirely different player from the Los Angeles Chargers?

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NFL Power Rankings: How do the Titans fare heading into Week 10?

Here’s how the Titans fare in a multitude of NFL power rankings heading into Week 10.

The Tennessee Titans grabbed their second win of 2024 in an overtime thriller over the New England Patriots on Sunday. It shouldn’t have been as exciting as it was, the Titans had the game won and let the Patriots tie it up at the last second to send it to overtime.

In overtime, the Titans managed to get the ball first but only kicked a field goal. Which meant the Patriots would have a shot at keeping the game alive. But Drake Maye came under pressure on the next drive and threw a bad pass that was intercepted by Amani Hooker. The turnover ended the game and the Titans’ defense put its name on the map.

This Sunday, the Titans face a much different team in the Los Angeles Chargers. And, as long as he’s healthy, Will Levis will be back on the field. Which probably isn’t going to have the effect Brian Callahan desires, but that’s where we are.

As we enter Week 10, here’s a look at where the Titans place in a multitude of power rankings.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY:

Looks like second-year QB Will Levis might return just in time … to face the Chargers’ unforgiving defense on the road.

Barry Werner, List Wire:

Rushing three gave Drake Maye so much time at the end of regulation that he could have signed a second contract before throwing the touchdown pass that forced overtime. The Titans won despite botching a snap on third down on their game-winning drive. This game was fit to be a tie.

NFL Nation, ESPN:

The Titans have faced an AFC South division opponent only once this season, resulting in a 20-17 loss to the Colts. Week 12 kicks off a stretch of five divisional matchups in their final seven games. Starting off with a win over the Texans, who probably will still be on top of the AFC South, would give Tennessee a tremendous boost and help the Titans finish strong.

Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network:

The Tennessee Titans won in Week 9, but a win against the Patriots in overtime doesn’t count for much in the grand scheme of things.

Tennessee’s offense has been a problem regardless of who’s playing quarterback, and the defense is roughly a league-average unit that can do well against bad offenses but struggles against better ones.

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:

The Titans are still fighting hard for rookie coach Brian Callahan, as they’ve gotten an injury-related spark from Mason Rudolph. Their defense has been surprisingly ahead of the offense in their rebuild.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports:

You haven’t exactly turned a corner when you need overtime to beat the Patriots at home, but head coach Brian Callahan couldn’t afford a loss. Not that there’s any sign he could be one-and-done, but if he fell to 1-7 on a loss at home to New England, maybe the seat would have started to get warm.

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk:

Titans, don’t blow your chance to draft a franchise quarterback.

Diante Lee, The Ringer:

After a spectacularly bad showing on the road against Detroit, I was ready to say this team had packed it up for the remainder of 2024. I came away from Sunday impressed with this offense’s ability to get back to what it was built to do: run the damn ball. Tony Pollard’s 28 carries resulted in 128 yards on the ground, and it helped Tennessee stay in a rhythm it hadn’t been able to maintain all year. The defense controlled the line of scrimmage as well, and for at least this week, the Titans aren’t the most embarrassing outfit in the league.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com:

Want to win a bar bet this week? Ask your drinking buddies which team currently allows the fewest yards per game in the NFL. Yep, it’s the Titans, who allow a stingy 269.1 yards per game, which is on pace to be the lowest average allowed since the 2014 Seahawks. On Sunday, the Titans allowed the Patriots only 284 yards in four quarters, plus one overtime series, and turned over rookie QB Drake Maye three times, including the game-sealing pick in OT, and sacked him four times. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley made some big plays on offense, but it was the defense that has set the tone — as it has for most of the season. It’s to the point that I think defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson could even earn some head-coaching interviews this offseason. That — and the fact the Titans simultaneously allow 26.6 points per game, which is bottom five in the NFL — speaks volumes about how inefficient their offense and special teams have been. But earning their first win since September lifted a big load off the back of head coach Brian Callahan in a tricky first season.

Titans vs. Patriots Player of the Game: S Amani Hooker

The Titans earned a 20-17 overtime victory over the Patriots, and one player stood out above the rest as this week’s Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans finally got their second win of the season on Sunday when they defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime.

It was a frustrating game to watch, even with getting a win. There were a ton of penalties on both teams, turnovers for both teams, head-scratching play calls and a LOT of back-and-forth.

The Titans had a few players who played exceptionally well today. Nick Wesbrook-Ikhine had his best game of the season. Calvin Ridley played well. Tony Pollard carried the load on offense. Jack Gibbens seemed to be everywhere on the field. But there can only be one Player of the Game, and this week it is safety Amani Hooker.

Hooker recorded five tackles (two solo), three passes defensed, one quarterback hit and two interceptions on the day. His second interception is what landed him as this week’s top player because it ended the game and sealed the Titans’ victory.

Now in his sixth season, Hooker has nabbed 10 interceptions in his career and three this season alone. The Titans are going to need a lot more where that came from during the rest of the season to give their offense a better chance at putting points on the board.

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Titans vs. Patriots: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 9

The Tennessee Titans will face the New England Patriots and here are three reasons why fans dhould be optimistic.

The Tennessee Titans are coming off a disastrous loss to the Detroit Lions and are desperate to get things rolling. This week, they face a struggling New England Patriots franchise and have a chance to finally get on track. 

In a game that matters more for draft positioning than playoff chances, it’s hard for fans to remain optimistic right now. The team is losing and appears dysfunctional, and questions about the coaching staff continue to cascade across multiple platforms.

Still, for Titans fans, there are some reasons for optimism in Week 9, and here are three of them.

Passing game

In Week 8, the Titans’ passing game flashed some potential and finally got Calvin Ridley on track. Unfortunately, Mason Rudolph turned the ball over and put the team in harm’s way. With Will Levis possibly returning, there is some hope for the passing game to rebound. The Titans have the better passing game in this one and better receivers across the board. If Levis or Rudolph could just complement the rushing attack, the Titans could be headed in the right direction. 

Defense

The Patriots’ offense has struggled throughout 2024 and is one of the only units ranked below the Titans. This week that struggling offense will take on a Titans defense that played much better than the score indicated last week. The Titans are stout against the run and match up well with the Patriots receivers. With this likely to be a low-scoring battle, the Titans’ defense might be able to carry them to victory. 

Nick Folk

If there is one area where the Titans’ special teams are not a disaster, and they have a clear advantage in this game, it is at the kicker. Nick Folk has been perfect this season, going 9-for-9 on field goals with a long of 53 yards and 13-for-13 on extra points. This contrasts sharply with Patriots kicker Joey Slye, who has only connected on 85 percent of his attempts in 2024. This may be a small advantage for the Titans, but in a low-scoring affair, it could be a critical one.

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Titans vs. Patriots: 3 causes for concern in Week 9

Three causes for concern for the Titans as they host the Patriots in Week 9.

The Tennessee Titans host the New England Patriots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday at 1pm EDT.

The 2-6 Patriots aren’t having a banner year, much like the 1-6 Titans, and both sit at the bottom of the AFC. Neither team appears to have what it takes to turn their season around to make a legitimate run at the playoffs, but at least the Patriots have more than one win.

This week, the Titans and Patriots are relatively evenly matched. Talent-wise, on paper. When it comes to gametime, the Patriots have a bit more of an edge. This leads us to this week’s causes for concern, there are three major things the Titans are worried about heading into Week 9.

 

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Titans currently hampered by injuries

If you look at the Titans’ injury report, there are a slew of new additions this week. Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd, Andrew Rupcich, Tre Avery, Amani Hooker. And that is on top of the eight players already on injured reserve.

Obviously, not all injuries are created equal. Just because a player is listed on the injury report, doesn’t mean he’s going to sit out on Sunday. There’s context to consider but having so many players banged up at one time is definitely a cause for concern.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Quarterback questions remain unanswered

Mason Rudolph got the start against the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills over the last two weeks, but Will Levis returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity. While Rudolph is the more experienced quarterback and would likely still be the better option against the Patriots, Brian Callahan continues to support Levis. So if Levis can go, we might see him against the Patriots on Sunday instead of Levis.

The problem with not knowing is that the players don’t know either. Which means they aren’t settled in what their role is because it might change depending on who lines up under center. Whoever plays quarterback has a major impact on how the rest of the team plays, and without knowing who that is, the Titans offense will struggle again on Sunday.

Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Offensive line shakeup

The potential season-ending injury to Andrw Rupcich could not have come at a worse time. With the quarterback questions looming, the line really needs to be in solid working order, and now it isn’t. Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Dillon Radunz will now all be backed up by backup center Daniel Brunskill. Guards JC Latham and Leroy Watson IV will handle the outside with John Ojukwu as Watson’s backup. Latham’s backup is Watson. They still have Nicholas Petit-Frere, but no one wants him on the field unless there’s no other choices.

The offensive line did not play well against the Lions last week. They should fare better this week against a much less dangerous Patriots’ defensive front, but they have to be smart. The Titans can’t afford to lose any more offensive linemen, so these guys have got to stay healthy so the line can hold.

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Gimme Him: One player Titans would steal from Patriots

The Tennessee Titans need some help in their banged up secondary, making this an easy target to grab off the New England Patriots’ roster.

The Tennessee Titans (1-6) will be back on the field Sunday when they face the New England Patriots (2-6) in Week 9 action.

That, of course, provides those of us here at Titans Wire the opportunity to hypothetically steal from the Patriots’ roster in search of depth and/or talent upgrades.

The Titans are a bad football team that could use an infusion of talent at many positions. Coming off a terrible game against the Detroit Lions, the team has hit rock bottom and may need a complete overhaul to fix what is broken.

The Patriots have struggled in 2024, but are coming off a huge win against the New York Jets and have some momentum, but like the Titans, they are in need of talent across the board, making this a difficult endeavor.

While players such as Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger and Hunter Henry make some sense and could all fill major roles on the Titans, cornerback Christian Gonzalez would make the biggest impact this week and heading into the future.

With starting cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed (hamstring) and Chidobe Awuzie on injured reserve, the Titans’ secondary is led on the outside by rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr. While Brownlee has played well and looks to be a quality piece moving forward, depth is a huge issue now and in the future.

Gonzalez could solve that problem upon his arrival. A 2023 first-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft, he has the pedigree and talent to be a shutdown cornerback.

The 6-1, 205-pound corner has 28 tackles on the year, but his ability to erase top receivers is much more valuable. He is coming off completely shutting down Davante Adams in a game the Jets had to win. They didn’t, and Gonzalez was a huge factor.

What are your thoughts, Titans fans? Would you pick Christian Gonzalez or steal an entirely different player from the New England Patriots?

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Titans’ Brian Callahan needs to be fired after 2024 season

We examine why the Tennessee Titans should move on from head coach Brian Callahan after just one season.

Brian Callahan took over as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans just over 9 months ago. At the time of his hiring, it was easy to buy into the hype and get excited about an offensive-minded, young head coach.

With that being said, Callahan’s first nine months have gone as bad as humanly possible. Callahan’s tenure has begun so horribly that it’s already time to consider whether the team should cut bait after this season.

Callahan’s Titans are 1-6 heading into Week 9, and it’s hard to identify any positives. First-year HCs often struggle, but they typically show signs of improvement and growth as the year goes on.

In Callahan’s case, however, the team looks worse and worse with every passing week. The Titans are not just rebuilding; they are losing in embarrassing and ugly fashion each week. Every game this team plays looks like it’s the first time they’ve met each other.

Brian Callahan’s offense is worse than his predecessors

Before this season, Callahan was billed as an offensive guru. The coach was credited with helping the development of Joe Burrow and helping design a high-powered Bengals offense.

How has that translated to Tennessee? Well, the Titans are currently 28th in points per game, 31st in passing yards per game, and 30th in yards per game. Offensive guru? The “exotic smashmouth” offenses of Mike Mularkey were much more impressive than those of this unit, as were Mike Vrabel’s units.

Callahan also brought in his father, legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan. The elder Callahan is billed as one of the greatest OL coaches in the NFL. Surely, Bill has at least had success, right?

Nope. The Titans still have a revolving door at right tackle, and the team is 25th in the number of sacks allowed per game. Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan have been atrocious when asked to play, somehow even worse than last year. Leroy Watson IV was brought to Tennessee from Cleveland with the elder Callahan, and he’s also been horrendous.

Not one thing the Callahan regime has tried to do thus far has worked. And no, this can’t be blamed on a bad roster.

This is not JUST a roster problem

The Titans spent more money than any other team in free agency this offseason, so the “bad roster” excuse doesn’t fly either. Is this roster perfect? Absolutely not. However, it’s not bad enough to get blown out by 40 points. Callahan has shown an inability to manage games, hold players and coaches accountable, or prepare his team.

The Titans weren’t going to be a Super Bowl contender, no matter who the coach was in 2024. That doesn’t mean they had to be a cellar-dweller, though, but that’s where we are.

Continuity is meaningless if the wrong people are in place

Barring a miracle turnaround, the Titans need to cut bait. This front office already showed they don’t buy into the sunk-cost fallacy as they traded Hopkins away mere months after investing a boatload of money into this team.

That same mindset needs to be in place with Callahan. Continuity is no good if you have the wrong people in place. If Amy Adams Strunk wants Titans fans in seats when the new stadium opens, changes need to be made — and made fast.

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Titans vs. Lions Player of the Game: Ryan Stonehouse

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Detroit Lions, 52-14, in Week 8 and punter Ryan Stonehouse is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans once again looked good at the beginning of the game. Linebacker Arden Key had two early sacks on Jared Goff for big losses, Mason Rudolph ran in one touchdown and threw another, and the offense actually put together a couple of competently run drives.

But that was the extent of what the offense did today.

The defense, in the absence of any kind of depth, simply couldn’t stop the Detroit Lions’ offense and special teams blocking was nonexistent on Sunday.

To that end, this week we landed on punter Ryan Stonehouse as the Week 8 Player of the Game.

Stonehouse punted six times for 296 yards, an average of nearly 50 yards per punt, and he landed inside the 20-yard line twice. It’s not his fault that the Lions were allowed to run back his punts to give the Lions good field position.

Stonehouse has one job: Put the ball at the opposite end of the field and give his team a chance to pin their opponent as close to their own end zone as possible. He does his job better than anyone else on his team.

Stonehouse is consistent, he’s reliable, and in Week 8, he was the only one who was successful.

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