Titans Defense Continues to Struggle in Week 3 Loss

Coming into this season, few Titans fans expected their home team to be 0-3 through three weeks, especially after the franchise spent must of this past offseason loudly rebuilding the roster from within.

The selection of Cam Ward with the first overall pick felt like the final box being checked: this year, was going to be — had to be — different. And yet, winless through almost the entire first month of the new campaign with a three-game road stretch looming immediately, this team looks nearly identical on the field to last year's 3-14 team.

The only difference is the potential under center, but even then, there is no guarantee that it'll translate to the win column anytime soon.

In their most recent defeat against the visiting Indianapolis Colts, the Titans defense allowed a brutal 41 points to an offense that is essentially in their first season following a similar rebuild to the one Tennessee is, somehow, still enduring.

Indy totaled 365 yards in the contest, punting only once, allowing zero sacks, committing no turnovers, and ultimately, plainly smothering Tennessee's defense on a consistent play-by-play basis. In the week before against the Rams, also at home, Tennessee gave up a similarly disconcerting 33 points to Los Angeles; Matt Stafford's offense stacked up 439 total yards to boot, in spite of Tennessee snagging one interception.

There have been takeaways, and the occasional flash of promise, but the Titans' defense has undeniably fallen short of expectations. That isn't to say that the offense has met their mark, either, but with a new quarterback at the helm and a string of rookies in the spotlight, an inherently longer rope might exist in that regard, at least for now.

Statistics and technicalities aside, it simply feels like the franchise should have things on the right track by now, to some extent. If Tennessee finishes with a losing record this season, their streak without a higher number in the win column will approach a grueling half-decade.

For a team that won the AFC South in 2021, the fall has been in stark contrast to the standard set by a previous regime. With (relatively) new coach Brian Callahan now 3-17 through 20 games, the team appears to be going in the wrong direction, with the veteran-led defense especially struggling to keep up.

Their next test comes in the form of the equally winless Houston Texans on the road next weekend. Despite their evenly disastrous records, somehow, Tennessee still feels outmatched.