The Tennessee Titans traveled east to Landover, Maryland to take on the Washington Commanders in Week 13 on Sunday. Based on the performances of both teams over the last few weeks, many expected it to be close, but in true football style, these two teams surprised us all.
The Commanders took an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on some mistakes by the Titans and securing points. The Titans appeared confused in the first half, as if they were speechless about what was happening. The second half was better for the Titans, at least as far as the eye test goes, but they couldn't overcome the hole they had dug and fell to the Commanders 42-19.
With a record of 3-9, the Titans' tiny playoff hopes are now officially dashed. Let's take a look at what we learned about the Titans in their recent loss.
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It is a year of reconstruction. No one expected the Titans to make the playoffs this year, the only expectation was to see progress in their rebuild. Progress also includes overcoming setbacks, like we saw with the Titans on Sunday. It was chaotic early on; The first quarter was full of mistakes that led to an early deficit that the Titans simply couldn't overcome. But the Titans didn't let up after the first half. They came out of the locker room with the intention of having a solid second half, and for the most part they did.
Setbacks can occur, especially during a rebuilding season. What matters now is that the Titans go into the film room, analyze what went wrong, and figure out how to fix it. Learning from mistakes is where improvement comes, and the fact that the Titans didn't give up after the first half is a tell-tale sign that this team knows they can be successful.
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At the beginning of the season, Will Levis always seemed panicked when he was under pressure. He made poor decisions, his movements were frantic, and he seemed unsure of what to do. He has improved in that regard in recent weeks and what we saw from him on Sunday is that his newfound attitude is not fake. Levis steps into the pocket under pressure, he throws the ball away instead of forcing throws, he learns how to avoid sacks and when to start running. His vision of the field is better, his decision-making skills are better and he has remained confident and calm even under pressure. If Levis continues this style of play, he certainly has the potential to be a solid NFL quarterback.
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The Titans selected safety Amani Hooker in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In 2022, they signed Hooker to a multi-year extension, and given the way he's playing this year, it's worth it. He's already tied the highest number of interceptions he's had this season with four, something he accomplished in 2020 and hasn't accomplished since. Not only is he on track to have the best season of his career, but he's also making a lasting impression on the field every week. He is consistently one of the top defenders in duels and knows excellently where he can help on the field. He won't become an unrestricted free agent until 2026, so Titans fans can rest easy knowing he'll be around for another season.
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There are three bright spots on the Titans' special forces unit: Nick Folk, Ryan Stonehouse and Julius Chestnut. Otherwise, things haven't gone particularly well in the special teams games over the last six weeks. Jha'Quan Jackson has lost his touch, or at least his ability to hold on to the ball. Tackling and blocking haven't been good, and while it was better this week, that's because they brought in T'Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons to help. The unit as a whole is struggling with penalties and needs an overhaul, starting with special teams coordinator Colt Anderson.
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In two of the Titans' three wins, Tony Pollard rushed for over 100 yards. He rushed for 128 yards against the New England Patriots and 119 yards against the Houston Texans. Those are the only two 100-yard games he has this season. Can we see the problem here? Why do the Titans force so much air play when they have one of the best running backs in the league? Washington has one of the worst run defenses in the league, yet Pollard only ran the ball eight times for 35 yards. It was a one-dimensional game that was easy for the commanders to defend.
Next week the Titans play the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are at the bottom of the league (at least practically) when it comes to defense, and it would be nice to see a more balanced approach to offensive strategy.