Tennessee Titans head coach Mike McCoy reacts with punter Johnny Hekker (3) Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Titans' Mike McCoy Reflects on Rewarding Home Win

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Dec 23, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Tennessee Titans are a three-win football team with just two games left to play in the 2025-26 season. That's a daunting and overwhelming metric in equal parts, no matter how you frame it. Yet, if you'd only judged the franchise's state according to fans online in the last week or so, you wouldn't be able to guess the team's record. Folks are, at least generally, excited about where Tennessee is headed.

Especially following the Titans' 26-9 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the mood around Tennessee's future is relatively bubbly. And with rookies steadily improving and a cap space that is shaping up to be the most flexible in the league, why wouldn't it be? Assuming the Titans make a solid hire at head coach next season, the pieces are in place for a successful rebuild and turnaround.

Taking Pride in the Moment

In the meantime, the group's interim HC, Mike McCoy, is taking pride in the team as it exists right now. He spoke about both the team and the organization the day after beating Kansas City.

"I love leading an organization, a team," McCoy said, embracing his temporary role as the Titans' leader on the heels his second win in the role. "And I think the players have done a phenomenal job of buying in to how we want to play, what we want to do, the entire organization really, because we're all in this thing together."

.@Titans interim HC Mike McCoy: I love leading an organization, and a team. The players have done a nice job buying in ... We have great leaders, and everyone has stayed positive. ... It was very rewarding to see what happened yesterday.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 22, 2025

"So it's very rewarding when you have a game like yesterday, because this is what the players, the organization deserve, is to go out and play the way we did against a really good football team," McCoy continued.

It Just Means More

In spite of the mangled state of the Chiefs' roster as it stands - down multiple playmakers and without franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes - Tennessee's home win over one of, if not the NFL's most successful team over the last decade (give or take a few years) means more than anything else has to the team this season.

"I'm just so happy for the players because they deserve to win. They put so much — they bust their tails week in and week out. They've worked extremely hard."

While McCoy almost certainly won't be around in the same capacity, his growing favor within the franchise will leave a warm reminder of what he's done for the team regardless. Whether or not he wins another game, McCoy clearly cares about his time at the helm, and that is evidenced by breakthroughs such as the one the Titans are currently enjoying.

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

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