Tennessee Titans: Who’s To Blame On Offense in Loss to Texans?

Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans almost pulled off an upset against the reigning AFC South champion Houston Texans, losing 30-24 in overtime Sunday. An upset would’ve put the Titans in first place in the AFC South. “Experts” would no longer label this team as a pushover. This would have been a dream come true, but the Titans choked once again.

Who’s to blame for the loss? The defense did not play great but played good enough considering how much time they spent on the field.

The offense was inconsistent and very predictable. Some may think missing Shonn Greene was not a big concern because they have Jackie Battle. Battle is no Greene. Not to say the outcome of the game would be much different if Greene played, but there were certain situations where you needed Greene to be in there so you never know.

The defense played well enough for this team to win. They consistently got pressure on Matt Schaub  and forced him into throwing two interceptions including one for a touchdown. The defensive numbers may not look great on paper but if you watched the game this defense has upgraded a ton.

Now let’s get into the offense.

Chris Johnson hasn’t broken any big runs in his first two games but has consistently taken what he can get. That’s surprising considering how everyone watching the game knows when he’s getting the ball. The Titans have been very conservative. It just doesn’t look good.

Could it be that the coaches and coordinators have no faith in Jake Locker throwing the football? Which is understandable after he couldn’t hit a simple slant route to Kenny Britt on 3rd-and-1 that would have got the Titans a first down? Why not run the football? What happened to the counter play which Johnson succeeds the most on? Where are the halfback screens? The read-option we heard so much about in the offseason? The pistol formation?

It seems that the Titans have no clue what they’re are doing on offense. The coaching is to blame for the disappointment. They don’t know how to use Locker and they believe it’s a great idea to continue to run the ball back-to-back and put him in 3rd-and-7 situations.

This was a very disappointing loss. But we must take it and move on. If this offense every gels together this will be a very good overall football team worthy of contending in the playoffs. The receivers are out of sync, the offensive line is not protecting Locker, and Locker still has his own issues.

With a three-game home stand ahead of them, the Titans are capable of going 3-0. The offense must work to become more consistent. The defense can only do so much. Time for Dowell Loggains to let Locker loose. Is he saving that for a bad team? Only the coaches know the answer to that.

What’s your opinion? Comment below.