Once again, Brian Callahan’s team made things interesting for their opponent. However, for the eighth time in 10 contests, the Tennessee Titans fell short on the scoreboard. The club owned an early 3-0 lead, watched the visiting Minnesota Vikings score the next 16 points, and Callahan’s squad never got any closer than six points.
The 23-13 setback saw the Titans finish with only 294 total yards, and 98 of those came on one play that proved to be the team’s only touchdown of the game. Both of Tennessee’s wins this season, over the Dolphins and Patriots, have come in the only two games in which the club scored at least 20 points. Yikes!
Another disappointing performance by the Titans
What went wrong: Non-existent ground game
It’s been a very productive year for former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. Pollard inked a three-year, $21 million deal with the Titans this offseason, and general manager Ran Carthon has to be pleased with his production to date. He’s totaled 160 carries for 681 yards and three touchdowns, and is second on the club with 30 receptions. The Pro Bowler has accumulated 168 receiving yards, and his 849 yards from scrimmage ranks 18th in the league. On Sunday vs. the Vikings, he was not much of a factor at all.
Pollard finished with nine carries for a mere 15 yards, 1.7 yards per carry. His longest run was only four yards. In fact, the Titans were held to 33 yards on the ground, tied for the team’s worst performance of the season (vs. the Packers in Week 3). Quarterback Will Levis led Tennessee with 18 yards rushing.
What went right: Just in the Nick of time
It was a startling turn of events, and the play got the Titans back in the game when it looked like the club was on its way to another ugly loss. Down by 13 points midway through the third quarter and with the ball on his own two-yard-line, Levis threw what was arguably the best pass of his brief career. He found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine down the right sideline. The Titans’ wideout was well covered, but Levis dropped the ball in perfectly and when it was all said and done, it added up to a 98-yard touchdown connection.
The score and subsequent PAT narrowed Minnesota’s advantage to 16-10. Westbrook-Ikhine is having a career year in terms of reaching the end zone. He leads the Titans with five TD grabs, snaring a scoring pass in five of the team’s last six games. It proved to be Tennessee’s lone touchdown of the afternoon.
What went wrong: Flag day
Officiating continues to be a sore spot for players, coaches, fans, and certainly some members of the media. The Titans did not do themselves any favors on Sunday and when it was all said, they accumulated 13 acceptable penalties for 91 yards. The latter figure was nearly three times as many yards as the Titans’ offense managed on the ground (33) on Sunday. The 13 penalties were a season high for Callahan’s club.
Late in the third quarter, a Levis-to-Calvin Ridley 51-yard touchdown pass was wiped out by a flag for an illegal formation. The Titans have racked up at least eight penalties in eight of their 10 outings, and have totaled double digits in flags in three of their last six contests. All told, only the Baltimore Ravens (92) have amassed more penalties than the Titans (82). John Harbaugh’s squad has played one more game.
What went wrong: Levis under fire again
Minnesota’s Brian Flores has been the coordinator of one of the most aggressive defenses in the league this season. The Vikings have been much- improved on this side of the ball since he joined the franchise in 2023. The Purple Gang entered Week 11 with the league’s second-ranked run defense, and that aspect of this unit lived up to billing against Pollard and company. However, Flores’ group really made its mark on Sunday afternoon in terms of putting heat on the quarterback, and Levis certainly felt the full brunt of it.
Tennessee’s second-year signal-caller was sacked five times, this after Levis was dumped seven times a week earlier at SoFi Stadium in the loss to the Chargers. Outside linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones II each had a pair of sacks, and the latter finished the afternoon with five quarterback hits.
What went wrong: Lack of interconference knowledge?
The only thing saving these Titans from being in the basement of the AFC South is the inept play of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The latter owns an NFL-worst 2-9 record and is heading into its off-week riding a four-game winning streak. Five of Jacksonville’s nine losses have come at the hands of the entire NFC North, as well as a tough setback to the Eagles in Philadelphia. Does that have a familiar ring to it?
Yes, this is Callahan’s first NFL head coaching job. Just like the Jaguars, the Titans are likely somewhat happy that they don’t have to face another NFC North team this season. Tennessee is a combined 0-4 vs. that division this season, outscored a combined 129-58 in those defeats. Sunday’s overall performance was a disappointment by the club, who have a date with the Commanders in Washington in Week 13.