At a Crossroads: Titans Left Soul Searching After 35-10 Loss in Philadelphia

The Titans are 6-0 against teams with losing records. They are now 1-5 against teams with winning records.

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Yesterday’s convincing and demoralizing 35-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles has the Tennessee Titans doing a bit of soul searching. For the second time this season, the Titans have been blown out by a vastly superior opponent. The hope for this Eagles game was that they’d made strides since the Buffalo Bills dragged their asses way back on Monday Night Football in Week 2. But, if you watched yesterday’s game, you’d probably say not much has changed since September. That should be a massive red flag when you try to project how far this Titans team can go. Ultimately, it’s going to be how this team stacks up against the NFL’s elite that determines its fate. And right now, confidence can’t be all that high.

We know they like to be the biggest bully on the block. They play a physical style that’s hard to replicate if you’re not up for the challenge, and when it works, it works. But, when it doesn’t work, the Titans just seem to double down on it because it’s all they know. It’s their identity. It’s who they are. However, I’d point out that if you continue banging your head against a wall trying to get through it, you’re eventually going to knock yourself out. I was surprised to see that Mike Vrabel say this team is “at a crossroads and have to make some decisions.” It’s an acknowledgement that this level of inconsistency can’t continue. The Titans are 6-0 against teams with losing records. They’re 1-5 against winning teams, and that lone win came against a Washington Commanders team led by Carson Wentz before the Commanders started heating up. They quite simply need to be better if they’re going to make any sort of run in the postseason.

Good luck figuring this one out, coach. Injuries have been a factor. Personnel issues have been a factor. 1st round whiffs, and a myriad of bad decisions along the offensive line, have this Titans team down bad right now. This offensive line is atrocious. Ryan Tannehill was sacked six times yesterday, and was routinely under duress. That man looked like he was fighting for his life at times. When that happens, teams can just key in on crowding the line of scrimmage to smother Derrick Henry because they know the Titans can’t get into a rhythm throwing the ball. It sure seems like teams are starting to figure out the formula for beating this team. When that happens, the offense can’t stay on the field, the defense is gassed by the 2nd half, and catastrophe ensues.

So yeah, seeing that happen in back to back weeks against playoff teams can spark a little soul searching! But, what can Vrabel and company do to remedy this situation and salvage what hope this team has for 2022? It’s not like starting caliber left tackles are just sitting out there waiting for the call. They could give the play-calling reins over to Tim Kelly, but how’s that going to help this defense get healthier? You see where I’m going with this? The problems the Titans have right now are layered, and there’s plenty of ’em, folks.

People will say this team is a fraud. I don’t know that that’s necessarily true – we know exactly what this team is. It’s just a matter of whether or not that’s good enough to make a run in January. Ultimately, I don’t think the ceiling of this team has necessarily changed. All season long, this has felt like one of those “just get to the playoffs and see what happens” types of teams, and though angry Titans fans won’t want to read that this morning, it’s still true. If they can get healthy and play their game, who knows what can happen? I just don’t think it’s a safe bet given what we’ve seen from them this season. One thing is for sure – Vrabel is right…this is absolutely a critical moment in time for this Titans team.

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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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