There really is no way to sugarcoat it: the Tennessee Titans are a bad, boring and uninspiring team to watch right now. It’s gotten to the point where a 13-point deficit at halftime is insurmountable.
After losing by 14 points a week ago, the Titans followed it up by dropping Sunday’s contest to the Jags by 20 (34-14).
The biggest gut punch is the realization that everyone outside of the fanbase was right about this Titans team all offseason. Titans fans and local media members mostly chose to ignore their flaws, and now we’re all left to eat humble pie with each passing week.
It should go without saying at this point, but the Titans’ season is over for all intents and purposes. As torturous as it will be, the best possible outcome for this franchise might be for it to lose out and secure a top-five pick in a draft with several intriguing prospects at positions of need.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is obviously the other #Titans
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels98) November 14, 2023
Not only will the Titans have a high pick in Round 1, but they would secure a high pick in each round where they still have their own. Tennessee would then likely be able to select an offensive lineman and wide receiver within the first 40 picks.
This doesn’t mean that you need to actively root for them to lose, but there is a silver lining should they lay an egg the rest of the way. That is just one of the many harsh realities this team is facing.
This article is going to discuss a few other hard truths while also mentioning one blatant overreaction. Let’s dive in.
Truth: There's no fixing this O-line
It’s no secret that the Titans’ offensive line has been the biggest issue this season. There simply aren’t answers on the roster to help this group going forward.
The Titans have tried several different combinations upfront, with all of them having been below-average, at best, and a downright disaster, at worst.
The left tackle position has been the most glaring weakness. Needless to say, that’s less than ideal considering that’s undoubtedly the most important position on the offensive line.
Whether it’s been Andre Dillard, Dillon Radunz or Nicholas Petit-Frere, nothing the Titans have tried has been good enough.
Left guard Peter Skoronski has been solid, but even he has had growing pains, especially since returning from his appendectomy earlier this year.
Center Aaron Brewer is struggling just to control his snaps, which have put the ball in harm’s way more than you would prefer. He’s also not your preferred presence in the middle in pass-blocking situations.
Right guard Daniel Brunskill isn’t bad by any means, but he’s also not anything to write home about. He’s just the best player on an offensive line that has set the bar incredibly low.
Lastly, right tackle Chris Hubbard is a journeyman for a reason and is someone you’d rather have come on in relief situations instead of being a primary bookend for your offensive line.
To make matters worse, even he’s recently caught the injury bug, and now Tennessee is left playing sixth-round rookie Jaelyn Duncan, and quite possibly Andre Dillard if he returns next week and Hubbard is out.
It’s a complete dumpster fire right now, and you should probably expect it to stay that way, at least until the offseason.
Overreaction: Drafting a QB early should be back on the table
After starting his NFL career with a dominant debut, rookie quarterback Will Levis has hit a wall. However, despite his struggles, the flashes of potential greatness are there.
The most frustrating part is his surroundings don’t allow those flashes to occur more frequently than they currently are. Because of that, some fans have started to campaign for the team to take one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s draft.
In reality, wanting to replace the Kentucky product with another young quarterback would be extremely short-sighted.
Even if you threw C.J. Stroud into this offense, chances are he wouldn’t look nearly as potent as he does in the Texans’ offense, and that’s largely because they have one of the better offensive lines in the league anchored by a true pillar at left tackle in Laremy Tunsil.
That means he has nothing to worry about when it comes to getting hit from behind, while the complete opposite can be said for Levis.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dillard allowed 10 sacks through the first nine games. Meanwhile, Tunsil has only allowed seven sacks combined since the start of the new decade (2020). That is a night and day difference when it comes to the most important position upfront.
Levis is playing behind an offensive line that you could argue is filled with four backup-caliber players and one rookie. Furthermore, he only has one consistent weapon to target in DeAndre Hopkins, but opposing defenses are now smothering him and forcing someone else to beat them.
When Levis has adequate protection, he’s shown that he’s able to play well. But getting adequate protection from this group is constantly a struggle.
This offseason needs to be dedicated to getting Levis help more than anything else. Thankfully, the Titans are projected to have the most cap space in the NFL next offseason, along with a high draft pick in multiple rounds. The hard part comes in ensuring they make the right decisions.
Only time will tell whether or not that happens, but Levis is one of the last players who deserves to be replaced right now.
Truth: The defense is below-average, at best
The Titans’ pass rush has been such a letdown this year. Coming into the season, many expected the group to get back to being the dominant front it was just a few years back.
Instead, Tennessee’s pass-rush has a group full of overpaid players who are making more of an impact on the salary cap than they are on the field.
Tennessee only accounted for one sack on the day. Unsurprisingly, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence picked the secondary apart because of it.
To be brutally honest, the Titans’ pass-rush is putting more pressure on its own secondary than it is on opposing quarterbacks. Sadly, the pass defense is worse than they are, so that just becomes a recipe for disaster.
Aside from the defensive front, cornerback Kristian Fulton has been horrendous for the majority of the season. He briefly turned a corner, but he almost immediately went back to being a liability. Fulton can’t cover, he’s undisciplined, a weak tackler, and has had several mental lapses.
As is the case on offense, the Titans just don’t have the horses on defense to be any good.
Truth: Titans can't get out of their own way
The worst part about watching the Titans play right now is all of the self-inflicted wounds. It’s one thing if another team beats them straight up, but it’s another thing for the Titans to help opponents by beating themselves.
Tennessee constantly suffers from a combination of untimely and back-breaking penalties and miscues, and costly turnovers. Even when the Titans got things going late in the second half, a fumble on a punt return ultimately ended up helping Jacksonville put more points on the board.
This team cannot get out of its own way right now, and until the Titans find a way to stop doing so, you can expect a lot more lopsided outcomes going forward.
