Titans Defense Among NFL's Worst

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 10:00 AM ET

From an early-season, desperate swap at play-caller to the last week's shutout loss on the road against the Houston Texans, the Tennessee Titans have been heavily criticized for their inability to produce on a remotely consistent level on the offensive side of the ball.

Given HC Brian Callahan's past as a play-caller himself, and his own generally offensively geared proclivities as a coach, this focus makes sense. But rarely is a winless (now 0-4) team only having issues on one side of the ball, and Tennessee is no exception.

According to Fox Sports' latest composite ranking, the Titans' defense is among the worst in the NFL in almost every statistic. It's a double-edged struggle for the navy blue and white.

To be fair, the team's defensive squad does stand out positively in exactly one regard; that being the team's efficiency in red zone stoppages. Among the league's 32 proponents, Tennessee ranks ninth (tied with the Los Angeles Rams) among them with a mere 53.3% red zone touchdown rate by their opponents. Then again, this is the only statistic in which they place in the top 10.

Otherwise, it's been an all-around struggle for a unit that appears progressively more lost on a weekly basis under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who took on the role as a part of Callahan's new coaching regime just last season.

In overall scoring defense, Tennessee ranks all the way down in the 28 spot, tied with the New York Jets and ahead of just three teams: the New Orleans Saints, the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens, in that order. The Titans are allowing a whopping 30.0 points to the other team on average, by way of 14 total touchdowns thus far.

In brutal comparison, Tennessee themselves have only scored three.

On more specific notes, the team's rushing defense comes in at the equally dissatisfactory No. 28 spot, while the pass protection improves only slightly, ranked at No. 22. Put together, the Titans overall defense slots in statistically as the 25th-most efficient in the NFL. In addition to the 14 touchdowns allowed, on average, they're giving up 368.5 yards of total offense every game.

Whether or not the Titans offense finds a way to improve under rookie quarterback Cam Ward, if the defense continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel, it likely won't matter. Set to go upagainst the Arizona Cardinals on the road this weekend - a team highlighted by offensive weapons, such as Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. - the road ahead doesn't appear to be smoothing out, by any stretch.

DC Dennard Wilson, much like Brian Callahan, has his back against the wall in a position that appears markedly less secure with every subsequent loss.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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