In a season full of injuries, let downs, and close games, the Titans entered week 15 in what was a must win game against the Chargers to keep a stronghold on the AFC South. With Treylon Burks still out recovering from a concussion, someone was going to have to step up on the offensive side of the ball and take some pressure off the defense who was missing a significant pass rusher in Denico Autry. That unfortunately never materialized today. Ryan Tannehill was rolled up by Khalil Mack on the first drive of the game, injuring his right ankle and limiting his mobility for the rest of the day. Strike 2 against an offense that has been struggling of late during this 4 game slid. Derrick Henry found tough sledding against a suddenly stout Chargers front, ranked 28th against the run this year. Offensive line struggles, to the tune of 4 sacks and King Henry finishing with a 21-104-1 line, while a solid line it kept the Titans out of their normal rhythm and not finding much in the passing game. Tannehill would finish the day 15-22, 165 yds, 1 INT, in yet another game where he could not find downfield success. One lone offensive bright spot was the utilization of Derrick Henry in the passing game as he finished with 4 catches for 59 yards. Much of the game was spent in a 7-7 lock through good defense and Tenneesse offensive ineptitude but late in the 4th the Titans found themselves down 14-7. Tannehill and company then orchestrated an 11 play 74 yard touchdown drive in 2:09 tying the game at 14 all. With less than a minute remaining, the defense just needed a couple of stops to send the game to extra time. On this day, however, Justin Herbert showed why he was the 6th overall pick against a battered and bruised Titan defense. Carried by throws Ryan Tannehill can only dream about even in his prime, Herbert moved the ball 52 yards in just 44 seconds to set up for a game winning field goal, giving the home team a 17-14 victory.

The Titans fell to 7-7 on the season and their grip on the AFC South has melted over this 4 game losing skid. The Jaguars, who we play in Jacksonville the final week of the season, are now just a game back and safety Kevin Byard had some strong words for the Titans after the game. When asked if things are slipping away, he responded with “seems like it” and followed that by saying “we don’t seem like a team that can beat anybody right now.” (Credit @BuckReising on Twitter for the quotes.) Byard is a leader in that locker room and in his eyes you can see his disappointment in the team effort today. It was a comedy of errors – poor offensive line play, shoddy play calling once again by the OC, and a lack of downfield pressure keeping the running lanes clogged for Henry. It is the same story each week it seems. OC Todd Downing has been underwhelming to say the least. While injuries have not helped his cause, his vanilla game planning is so predictable that we can barely manage 7 points per half, and have only scored more than 20 four times this season. You have the best running back in the league in the backfield, so the game plan should be simple. Find ways to get 22 involved – screens out of the backfield, split him out wide for a screen, wheel routes, tosses, whatever it takes. Instead, it is 3 runs up the middle, boy does he love running in the A gap on 2nd or 3rd and long, and punt. With Amy Adams Strunk already firing GM Jon Robinson, Downing should be next in line if the Titans hope to keep the slimming Super Bowl window even remotely open. How he still has a job is beyond me. Titans try again next week at home next Saturday against the Texans at 1 pm eastern, an absolute must win divisional game at this time. We will need Derrick Henry to continue his dominance of Houston and the defensive side of the ball to get healthy to find a way to win.