Titans RT Takes Accountability for Loss

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

It'd be silly to blame a singular Titans loss — or really, to blame the team's full-on breakdown through six games — on any particular player. In no uncertain terms, the state of Tennessee's franchise is currently among the most dire in the league. With head coach Brian Callahan on the hot seat and rookie quarterback Cam Ward appearing to lose his way within the offense as the weeks scratch by, it's a definitional collapse through-and-through for the home team at Nissan Stadium.

Even so, numerous individual shortcoming can cause a team to crumble, and thus was the case with the Titans' offensive line specifically in week 6. Not only has Cam Ward struggled to take care of the ball by his own merits, but in the Titans' latest loss, to the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, his protective unit allowed a miserable six sacks to the Maxx Crosby-led Raiders defense.

Tennessee was dominated in one of the game's most crucial split statistics. In comparison, the Titans only managed to get home and take down Las Vegas QB Geno Smith twice. In other, much sadder words, that's once every other quarter.

Following the defeat and this especial embarrassment, the Titans' right tackle JC Latham, who was specifically assigned to stop Crosby, took responsibility for his own failure in containing the Raiders' star edge rusher.

"He finished stronger than I did," Latham said, in reference to Crosby. "It is extremely difficult. You want to be an anchor for this team, a player that the team can depend on and I let the team down today. I didn't do what I was supposed to do today to give the team the best chance to succeed."

Latham, a longtime, consistent go-to for the Titans' offensive line, might've played a larger part than usual in Tennessee's protective collapse against Las Vegas. Then again, you'll be hard-pressed to find a faction of players on the NFL level willing to take full responsibility when things go wrong. Latham's attitude may even lend itself to improvement in the future, at least as far as his own individual play goes.

As far as the whole team goes, though? The weight of six sacks can't be dumped entirely on one player, and given the unit's composite, recurring failure to protect Cam Ward on a regular basis, the quarterback may have to get used to scrambling around in the pocket.

Then again, questions about one particular aspect of the team's shortcomings seem minuscule in comparison to the franchise's complete systematic failure.

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

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