3 Things Wrong With The Titans Right Now

Likewise, Tannehill finished with only 93 passing yards against the New England Patriots.

They are lucky that the Indianapolis Colts tasted defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Otherwise, their division lead would be down to one game, and the momentum would be on Indianapolis’ side.

But despite having more cushion between them and their rivals, the Titans might unravel during the home stretch for the following reasons.

3. Their Top Receivers Remain Sidelined

While Tennessee had a run-first offense, having their top receiving duo of A.J. Brown and Julio Jones allowed them to gain massive yardage off play-action.

But the Titans look limited without their primary wideouts.

Brown played during their loss against the Texans and finished with five receptions for 48 yards.

Unfortunately, he suffered a chest injury, forcing the team to place him on injured reserve.

As a consolation, his condition is not season-ending, and he will return by December.

However, there’s no definite time by which he will take the field again.

Before this injury, Brown dealt with knee and hamstring issues earlier in the season.

On the other hand, Jones is also on IR due to hamstring concerns.

He last played against the Los Angeles Rams and might return against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 12.

Having both players back will unlock more targets for Tannehill.

Without them, the Titans might find it hard to keep the chains moving.

During their absence, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine served as the Titans’ top receiver.

The second-year player from Indiana had 107 yards on seven catches versus Houston.

However, his production dropped to 25 yards against the Patriots.

2. Their Defense Is Regressing Once More

There were concerns regarding the Titans defense earlier in the season.

Their secondary couldn’t stop long gains while their defensive front did not generate enough pressure to rattle the opposing quarterback.

But the Titans proved their doubters wrong by unleashing their might against the Rams and the New Orleans Saints.

Sportsbooks favored the Rams to claim victory over Tennessee, but Mike Vrabel‘s crew refused to bow down.

David Long Jr. intercepted Matthew Stafford once while Kevin Byard completed a pick-six.

Jeffery Simmons anchored their pass rush, collecting three of their five sacks.

Against the Saints, Tennessee’s left defensive end finished with two sacks.

Unfortunately, they regressed against the Texans and the Patriots, finishing with two sacks and zero interceptions for both games.

Worst, Tannehill threw four interceptions against the Texans, one of the worst pass defense teams in the league.

The Titans defense must come to their senses and rise again because their offense won’t score a ton of points.

Therefore, limiting their opponents is their best chance to win constantly.

1. Derrick Henry’s Absence Is Massive

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year was the heart and soul of the Titans offense.

Around 75 percent of their plays went through him, and defenders didn’t want the nightmare that comes with tackling him.

With Derrick Henry sidelined by injury, they are trying their best to compensate for his loss.

Sadly, using a committee of running backs isn’t enough to replicate his production.

Adrian Peterson had his day, but he made the Titans miss Henry more.

This concern offers no answers because it’s hard to replace Henry’s size and speed.

Their best hope is for him to return in time for the playoffs if they end up winning the division.

The defensive players on the team they’re facing in the postseason must recite their prayers already.

  The Tennessee Titans still lead the AFC South despite two straight losses. However, their current path does not paint a positive picture. They’ve scored only 13 points in both defeats, and Ryan Tannehill had contrasting outputs in those games. He threw for 323 yards against the Houston Texans and still lost. The @Titans now […]