The Tennessee Titans suffered a deflating overtime loss to the Houston Texans in Week 15, 19-16.
This was an ugly all-around performance by a Titans team that was coming off the biggest win of its season a week ago.
Tennessee had the chance to keep its slim playoff hopes alive with a win, but instead, the Titans have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with three weeks left in the regular season.
To make matters worse, they lost to the Texans while wearing their Oilers throwbacks, so now you have people all over social media crying that the Texans deserve the uniforms back, even though Houston is a former expansion franchise that has nothing to do with the Oilers.
Also, the Texans’ social media team had some fun trolling the Titans after pulling off the upset.
Now, a look at some overreactions, along with some hard truths, following the Titans’ ninth loss of the 2023 campaign.
Truth: Titans' run defense missed Jeffery Simmons and Teair Tart
When the Titans’ defense is at its best, the unit is a physical group that punches opponents in the mouth. That type of physicality and bully mindset had led to a suffocating run defense that was elite in recent years.
Unfortunately, the Titans lost Jeffery Simmons to injury and parted ways with Teair Tart, and now the Titans’ run defense is a shell of itself. Granted, the run defense has struggled at times this year, but there’s no question the group upfront won’t be as effective without those two.
They were not only the Titans’ best run defenders, but they also epitomized what it meant to be an on-field bully. Now that the defensive front is without their presence and playmaking abilities, this group has become pathetic in the one area in which it used to dominate.
Texans running back Devin Singletary picked up chunks of yards at a time en route to 121 yards. Even when Houston found itself in situations where it was behind the sticks, Singletary still found a way to gash the Titans, which put Houston back in a position to extend the drive.
If the Titans want to get back to having an above-average defense next season, they need Simmons to stay healthy while also finding a suitable replacement for Tart.
Overreaction: Peter Skoronski is turning into a bust
Today was not a good day for the Titans’ first-round pick.
Peter Skoronski suffered some kind of injury early on and he was a complete liability the rest of the way. He allowed multiple sacks in a single game for the first time this season and looked overmatched against the Texans’ defensive front, and especially against Maliek Collins.
The entire offensive line looked horrendous as it often does, but you expect more out of someone like Skoronski since he’s the one O-linemen who undoubtedly will be a starter for this team next year.
This was obviously an emotional loss, which has led to some overreactions, but calling Skoronski a bust may be one of the wildest takes in a while.
Peter Skoronski is trending in the Chance Warmack direction and that is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE for the 11th overall pick.
— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) December 17, 2023
People forget that he’s still a rookie at the end of the day, and going through growing pains is something that he’ll have to go through to make himself better in the long run.
Skoronski is hardly the only rookie offensive lineman to have poor moments, and he definitely won’t be the last.
If we’re still having these types of conversations this time next year, then maybe we can talk. But for now, he’s one of the few players on this team who deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Truth: Titans need to consider firing Tim Kelly
Firing two offensive coordinators in two years is less than ideal, but it may be necessary if this team wants to fully unlock the offense’s potential. Tim Kelly has a decent scheme for the most part, but it’s not nearly good enough to compensate for his subpar play-calling.
Kelly was at his absolute worst on Sunday and showcased everything wrong with the offense in general.
The run game wasn’t successful at all, and it hasn’t been strong for a few weeks now. Yet, Kelly ignorantly keeps going back to it, which sets the rest of the offense up for failure. Levis and Co. are constantly forced into poor down-and-distance situations because the team insists on running on early downs even when it isn’t working.
That method is fine when it works, but when it doesn’t, you have to be willing to change it up and throw a different punch. Instead, the Titans kept throwing the same jab over and over with no success to show for it.
I don’t think Head Coach Mike Vrabel is in danger of losing his job, but he has to strongly consider finding someone who can show better judgement and truly maximize the offense.
The last thing you want is for this team to bring in adequate talent in the offseason, only to have it wasted by coaching malpractice.
With a ton of cap space and another draft class on the horizon, this could be the perfect time to switch things up and evolve into a more modern product.
Truth: Titans may need to move on from Derrick Henry
To some extent, this is a continuation of the last section.
This is a very difficult thing to write/accept, but it may be time to move on from Derrick Henry because it’s evident that as long as he’s out there, the team is going to be stuck being overly reliant on his skill set.
With a quarterback like Will Levis at the helm, the passing game needs to be the focal point of the offense, while the run game becomes the complementary piece.
There’s no denying that an improvement upfront will make things easier for Henry, but this coaching staff is beyond ignorant when it comes to moving away from him.
Tennessee also has an electric playmaker in Tyjae Spears who is seemingly ready to carry the torch into the next era. However, he’s held back by the Titans’ insistence on sticking with Henry.
If the Titans decide they want to do another short-term extension with Henry, I don’t think too many fans will complain. But that extension has to come with the understanding that he’ll be taking on a lesser role as the Titans transition to an offense centered around Levis and the passing game.
