Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan Justin Edmonds | GettyImages

Titans HC Looking Forward to Test Against Rams

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Not every loss is the end of the world. This was especially the case in the Titans' short-handed efforts on the road against the Denver Broncos in their first game of the new year, in which Tennessee kept the game within one possession and, at multiple intervals, were one big play away from taking the lead.

While no team wants to start a fresh season off at the 0-1 mark, for a franchise that only managed three wins all of last year, the boys in baby blue will take what they can get and run with it.

In fact, HC Brian Callahan is excited for another challenge, as the Titans head back home in order to prepare for the visiting Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, fresh off close-knit victory over the Texans at home last week, bring exactly the opposite in makeup and mode to the Titans: a long-tenured HC, a super-bowl champion quarterback and a seasoned defense are chief among the differences.

Of the Titans' tall task, Coach Callahan noted the aforementioned Rams' defense, calling the matchup a "real test." Under DC Chris Shula, Los Angeles allowed just nine points in their opening game to a high-powered Houston Texans offense. Last season, while ranking statistically towards the middle of the pack in the NFL, key playmakers consistently caused problems for opponents, all the way through their eventual exit in a close loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round last season.

Put plainly, they're a tough system to crack. And with the addition of new defensive talent across the board this offseason - like Nate Landman, for example, who was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance on Sunday - the difficulty has only increased.

Yet the Broncos defense is widely-renowned as one of the best in the league, and Tennessee still managed to keep them on their toes last week, at the very least. In fact, if it weren't for their near double-digit drops and countless penalties, the Titans may have stolen that game. This week, against another "playoff-caliber" football team, the newly rebuilt home team will have to lick their self-inflicted wounds if they want to get back to .500.

Callahan, who formerly coached Matthew Stafford during his time in Detroit, called the veteran "one of the best quarterbacks in football," in today's presser. He'll be watching intently as his rookie and franchise-QB-hopeful Cam Ward squares off against his former pupil come this Sunday.

For one reason or another (or perhaps many,) this Titans home-opener feels more important than one has in a long while. The air is different over a franchise long overdue for a change; a win on Sunday would go a long way in enacting that.

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

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