The Tennessee Titans were the worst team in the NFL in 2024, and they’re hoping that changes this season. If that’s going to happen, Tennessee will need more from head coach, and offensive play caller, Brian Callahan than what he displayed in the first half of Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
The Titans were on pace to enter halftime with a lead over the Broncos, who made the playoffs last season, but a head-scratching decision from Callahan resulted in Tennessee entering the locker room trailing. Leading 6-3, the Titans got the ball on their own seven-yard line with just 47 seconds to halftime. Callahan then called three straight pass plays, resulting in two incompletions and a sack.
Less than 10 seconds ran off the clock, and Denver only used one timeout before getting the ball back. A defensive pass interference later, the Broncos took the lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Titans did end kicking a field goal before the half ended thanks to a huge kickoff return, but they still trailed at halftime 10-9, which could have been prevented.
What Brian Callahan did at the end of the half from a game management standpoint is as bad as anything Will Levis did last year. So, so bad.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) September 7, 2025
Brian Callahan’s head-scratching play calls has Titans fans frustrated
Tennessee took the lead again in the second half, and could still win the game, but that’s not the point. The point is Callahan needs to be better. The Titans have made a ton of roster moves, led by first-overall pick Cam Ward, but none of that will matter if Callahan consistently makes costly decisions like the one he did in the first half.
Only in his second season as a head coach, Callahan is still growing and learning on the job, but his development needs to happen fast. If it doesn’t, the Titans could be staring down another season like the one they had last year, and no one wants that.