NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Cody Barton jumped in front of a Justin Herbert pass for a pick six on the second play of the game and Chimere Dike had an electrifying, 67-yard punt return for a touchdown, but it still was not enough to get the struggling over the top against the Chargers in a 27-20 defeat that drops them to 1-8 on the season.
The Titans posted their highest first half point total of the season with 17 points, boosted by the two touchdowns from defense and special teams. Unfortunately, both of those units produced more points on the scoreboard than the offense which was held without a TD for the third time in nine games this season.
Tennessee was on the doorstep of a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter Sunday, but Los Angeles stood tall for a pivotal goal line stand. Tony Pollard was stuffed on third down after receiving a direct snap in a questionable new wrinkle to the offensive gameplan. On fourth down they tried a more traditional power handoff and Pollard was stood up short of the end zone by Denzel Perryman and former Titan Elijah Molden.
The Chargers then took over from inside their own one-yard line and marched 99 yards over the next 15 plays for a touchdown to extend their lead to two scores. Herbert’s one-yard QB keeper capped the 9:10 drive that gave Los Angeles control.
And the Titans were unable to truly threaten down the stretch. They went three and out on the next series with Cam Ward getting sacked twice. They drove into L.A. territory on the next drive only to once again see Tyjae Spears get bottled up on a third and short wildcat call. It was the fourth time the Titans dialed up the direct snap – none of which worked – and it forced them to settle for a field goal and hope that the defense could get them the ball back.
But Los Angeles was able to run out the final 4:19 of the game as it ran 21 more plays and gained 11 more first downs while outgaining Tennessee 343-206. Not that the Titans offense would have likely scored had they been given another possession.
It does not matter who the coach or playcaller on this team is, the offense lags way behind the rest of a league built for offense. Brian Callahan turned over playcalling duties to Bo Hardegree after week three and the offense promptly got shutout in week four in Houston. Callahan was relieved of his head coaching duties after the week six loss in Vegas, but the offense has hardly turned a corner with former Chargers coach Mike McCoy now serving as interim coach.
The Titans scored 13 and 14 points, respectively, in losses to the Patriots and Colts, then failed to dent the end zone Sunday. Many of their familiar problems resurfaced. They committed six penalties in the first half, allowed four more sacks and went 0-2 in the red zone.
Ward avoided turning the ball over for the first time all season but took a step back in the passing game this week. After posting one of the best passing days of his rookie campaign last week in Indianapolis, he completed just 12 of 21 passes for 145 yards against the Chargers. He was fortunate to avoid an interception that was thrown right at Perryman but dropped. He also, once again, had a ball just slip out of his hand but right into the arms of right tackle J.C. Latham.
The bottom line is that the NFL is an offensive league and right now the Titans are not producing enough. They’re averaging just 14.4 points per game and have reached the 20-point mark just three times through the first half of the season. They are averaging nearly 20 yards less per game than the NFL’s second worst offense (Browns) and more than 30 yards less than the third worst offense (Raiders) despite the fact they have been behind in every game in the second half with the opportunity to pile up offensive numbers.
Dike is the one Tennessee player piling up stats. He had 220 total yards Sunday, including the first quarter punt return TD, extending his NFL lead in all-purpose yardage. But, even that stat, is a bit misleading because Dike has 13 more kickoff return attempts than any other player because of the number of scores the Titans have surrendered.
Ward and Dike are both promising young players with little around them to help. The Titans are the NFL’s worst team, having now been outscored by a league-high 127 points, 22 more than the 1-8 Saints. Sunday’s loss was the only one this season that came by seven points or less.
Tennessee now enters a bye week before it returns to host Houston in two weeks. It is hard to see what McCoy – or anyone – can do to jumpstart some sort of turnaround over the season’s final eight games.
Offense is the key to success and entertainment in the NFL. It wins games and sells tickets. There were a lot of empty seats Sunday as the Titans offense fell flat once again in the shadow of the brand new, $2.1 Billion Nissan Stadium which continues to be constructed next door. The organization’s top priority right now is filling that building for the 2027 season.
But after another anemic offensive outing, and an eighth straight home loss dating back nearly one full calendar year to early last November, it is an extremely tough sell.
“I’ve never met anyone like Tennie.”
That’s how one neighbor at Stones River Manor in Murfreesboro describes Tennie Fitzpatrick, who has mastered as many as seven different musical instruments. Each day, Tennie shares those talents with residents, workers and visitors. It’s an ability Tennie herself believes is “a gift from God.” That’s because Tennie is blind, and overcame a difficult, abusive childhood. Forrest Sanders shares this truly inspirational story.
- Rhori Johnston
