The Tennessee Titans' record fell to 3-9 in Week 13 after their loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Not only did the Titans look nothing like the team we had seen in recent weeks, but their style of play and offensive strategy were wrong against a Washington defense that has trouble running. The Titans ran the ball just 11 times on Sunday while receivers were targeted 36 times. It's an unbalanced approach that ultimately failed because Brian Callahan thought he could outsmart the commanders instead of using his weapons wisely.
The Titans weren't really expected to beat the Commanders, but the 42-19 score was definitely surprising. As Week 14 begins, here's a look at how the Titans rank in a variety of power rankings.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 30 (29)
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WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has 20 receptions this season…and eight went for touchdowns. Based on that, it might make sense to target him more than three times per game.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 27 (NC)
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Talk about a no-show in the first half. The Titans were terrible and were lucky that the result wasn't much worse.
NFL Nation, ESPN: 29 (26)
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Westbrook-Ikhine was a bright spot for the Titans' struggling offense despite starting the season as the fourth receiver. The fifth-year wideout didn't see any scoring in the first four games, but he's been on a roll over the last seven games. His eight receiving touchdowns during that span are tied for the most in the NFL by Ja'Marr Chase. That TD total also ties him with San Francisco tight end George Kittle for third-most among pass catchers. “It seems like every time we throw him the ball it’s either a first down or a touchdown,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz said of Westbrook-Ikhine.
Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network: 25 (25)
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Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network:
It's been a tough season for the Tennessee Titans, and it showed in a sloppy performance in Washington. The defense wasn't great, but the stubborn play on offense and special teams got them into a lot of trouble. The positive from the game was that Will Levis continued to look better in recent weeks, showing that he at least has the potential to remain in the nfl as a backup if the team decides to find another starter.
Tennessee can officially be eliminated this week if it ties or loses to Jacksonville.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 27 (26)
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Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:
The Titans have also seen highlights from their own second-year QB Will Levis, and their defense has shined at times as well. They should do better in the second year of Brian Callahan's tenure.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 30 (28)
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Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is pretty hot. He had two touchdowns against the Commanders on Sunday, bringing his total to eight touchdowns in Tennessee's last eight games. And that with only 20 catches.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 28 (27)
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Diante Lee, The Ringer: 29 (27)
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If there was any thought that beating Houston last week would be a step in the right direction, it was completely dashed. The Titans' defense had been the silver lining in an otherwise tumultuous season all season, but it unraveled in the first half of Sunday's loss to the Commanders. The front seven allowed two early explosive runs, and it appeared Tennessee had no answer to Washington's spread attack.
On offense, receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine showed off his playmaking ability, but he was the only shift stretching the field and Tennessee found there was no room on the ground to play against a defensive front that had dominated in recent weeks to compete in Washington.
Eric Edholm, nfl.com: 28 (30)
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What was going on with the Titans run defense on Sunday? This was a unit that controlled most opponents' running games, but the Commanders ran for a staggering 267 yards – the exact number of rush yards Tennessee had allowed in its three previous games combined, and more than nearly the 2.5- times the normal weekly permitted amount. Big gaps opened up at the front, and the Titans' tackling problems made things even worse. This just wasn't the Dennard Wilson-coordinated unit we've seen for most of the season. There was no coming back from that, nor from the 28-0 deficit the Titans found themselves in. The offense faltered early before showing signs of life late, but the 11 first-half penalties helped make the gap far too big to climb out of. After a string of more competitive games recently, this was a complete step backwards for the Titans.