Titans offensive goals are actually holding the offense back under Brian Callahan

It's always something with the Tennessee Titans on offense in 2024. Whether it's reckless turnovers from the quarterback, poor offensive line play, or questionable playcalling, Tennessee has consistently found a way to fall flat on game days. 

The Titans are 31st in the NFL in offensive yards per game (259.2). They are dead last in passing yards per game (145.8). They are 27th in points per game (17.7). All three of those figures are somehow worse than the 2023 Titans - a team that had significantly worse players and still fired majority of the coaching staff.

But among some of the more commonly discussed issues like quarterback play and the offensive line, I believe the Titans' offensive goals are actually holding the offense back under first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

Callahan's Goals

Brian Callahan has not been shy about owning his conservative playcalling and offensive approach. The Titans' mission on offense has been to run the ball successfully, put together long drives, and position their above-average defense to win the game.

All you have to do is look back at Tennessee's loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. Will Levis threw for just 95 yards on 27 pass attempts. Tony Pollard had his best game in a Titans uniform (93 yards, 1 TD). The Titans even put together two different 17-play drives...and they still lost while only putting up 17 points.

"That was obviously a conservative game plan style. I knew we were going to be able to run the ball well. I thought we did for the most part. Through three quarters, that game was about what I thought it would look like," said Brian Callahan following the game. "Our defense is playing well, we were running the ball, we had two different 17-play drives and we scored off a turnover. We were playing the game in a way that I thought was good enough to win through that point and then obviously didn't get it done. We've got to find a way to finish in the fourth quarter. That's sort of been our issue over the course of the season so far in these tight games is we haven't done enough on offense to go win a game and you got to score more than 17 points."

So how come the Titans can check every box and achieve their goals, but still fall short and only score 17 points? Because those goals are flawed.

Brian Callahan's vision of piecing together long drives, running the ball with authority, and doing enough to win is not a realistic expectation for the personnel on the Titans roster. This team doesn't have the talent or the chemistry to consistently go down the field in 15 plays and pick up points. Those drives keep stalling out from penalties and sacks surrendered by the offensive line or mistakes made by the quarterback.

Tennessee's lack of explosive offense, particularly through the air, is extremely concerning. 

Lack of explosive passing

Any pass that goes for 20+ yards is considered to be an explosive pass. Through six games, the Titans have just 11 explosive passes as a team.

Only four of those explosive passes have come in the second half of games and only one of them has come in the fourth quarter. 

Why do the Titans struggle to finish games and consistently generate points? Because they can't do it efficiently. In order to score, Tennessee relies on those long, methodical drives. But that's all the more opportunity for a sack, penalty, or bad play call to kill momentum.

The Titans have just one pass this season that netted over 30 yards! It was a deep touchdown to Calvin Ridley against the New York Jets.

When you watch the league's best offenses (and even some of the mediocre ones), you see a unit that can generate points in a hurry. There's always a time and place for a methodical drive that chews some clock, but you need to hit explosives and capitalize on those big gains when they come.

Brian Callahan's goal shouldn't be to have multiple 17+ play drives and win games with a conservative approach. It should be to scheme up more explosives and create points without requiring 17 plays of consistent execution.