Titans DC Analyzes Opening Week Performance

While a lot can be said about the Titans' performance as a team in their season-opening loss on the road to the Broncos, the ultimate reality is in the result: Tennessee is 0-1, and nobody is completely satisfied.

This is an attitude common among the fans, who've been waiting years for a culture shift within the franchise, but it permeates the minds and attitudes of the team's coaches, too. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is no different.

While his protective unit managed to secure two interceptions this past Sunday, making the job of sophomore quarterback Bo Nix difficult throughout the entire game, they managed only one sack, in addition to their numerous contributions to the team's 13 total penalties. The Titans ultimately couldn't overcome their own mishaps, falling short to a sour final tune of 20-12.

Wilson shone a spotlight on the yellow flags in Monday's next-day presser, expressing the team's dire need to be better in that regard, especially considering the struggle is one that carried over from last season. HC Brian Callahan also touched on the penalties in Monday's presser, demonstrating a similar frustration due to his expectation that the team would've grown out of them by this point.

Rest assured, both coaches are making the problem a pain point in practice this week.

Coach Wilson shared a similar disappointment in the Titans' multiple missed tackles, citing five in particular that bothered him still, as well as the bevy of explosive runs that eventually allowed the Broncos to pull away when their pass game wasn't producing. And, in spite of the positives, the game ending up in the loss column ultimately soured the experience for Wilson.

Even so, he delivered flowers to his defense where they were due. In addition to the two takeaways, Wilson called his defense "violent," particularly appreciating their collective nose for the ball and ability to challenge a somewhat seasoned offense on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

If things had gone differently on the offensive end and Tennesse came out with a win, perhaps the outlook would've taken a much different shape. But for the time, at 0-1, the Titans coaching staff is focused on what they can do to avoid digging a similar hole to the one that deflated them last season. Their next test will come Sunday, in the form of Sean McVay and the visiting Los Angeles Rams.