With yet another Tennessee Titans loss this past week — the Las Vegas Raiders are the latest team to claim what may be the league's easiest victory — time appeared to slow yet again as the team prepared to go through the motions once more ahead of their return home for another unfavored matchup.
Until the franchise decided to move on from head coach Brian Callahan. Then, everything changed; not only did many fans breathe a long-held sigh of relief, but the team, and the coverage around them, took on a new excitement due to their necessary coaching search.
While the latter has been solved by interim Mike McCoy for the time, all the hubbub did little to alter Tennessee's expectations from the outside looking in, at least for the time. In the week 7 iteration of On SI's power rankings, the Titans have fallen to the second-to-last spot at #31.
"Unsurprisingly, the Titans first win last week failed to translate to what became another by-the-books loss for a franchise that flew completely off the rails under former coach Brian Callahan," the ranking reads. "On a rare positive note, rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor has looked the part alongside Cam Ward as veteran wideout Calvin Ridley works through injuries and his own lack of production."
It's hard to be appreciative of much when you've got a 1-5 record, but in the Titans' rookie wideout Elic Ayomanor, the team has seen a flash of hope in a player who has successfully stepped in a position with little notable impact elsewhere.
Ayomanor leads Tennessee's receiving core in both receptions and touchdowns on the season, with 17 and 2 respectively, and is second only to veteran Calvin Ridley in total yards with 196.
These aren't standout numbers by any means, but when considered through the lens of the Titans' struggling, league-worst offense that allows almost nobody to flourish, his potential appears far more encouraging than his production.
Not to mention that, under the aforementioned interim Mike McCoy, Tennessee could see new life on either or both sides of the ball. It's a long-referenced reality that guys tend to fire up and play better, at least for a period, under an apparently temporary coach.
As the Titans prepare to duel their former HC Mike Vrabel and his 4-2 New England Patriots at home, they'll have to hope for that superstitious boost in a game that appears to be a surefire loss going in.
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