NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel wants his Titans to finish off the most painful and ugly season of his tenure with a victory.
Not just to build momentum for 2024. There are many reasons, and Vrabel summed up the biggest motivation succinctly.
“It sucks to lose,” Vrabel said Tuesday.
“Losing. Awful. That’s why I want to win. Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players that bust their tail. That’s it. You know? I mean, it’s not about, ‘Hey, we’ll go into the offseason with a good note.’ Nobody knows what you did on January 7th … in April when you come back.”
Vrabel had the Titans (5-11) in position to play for a postseason berth in each game of his six seasons until Dec. 17, when they were eliminated from contention. Now they are mired in a second three-game skid this season after a 26-3 loss at Houston, and they’ve lost 18 of 23 games dating back to last season.
That’s when a seven-game skid ended Tennessee’s bid for a third straight AFC South title. They were about three minutes from winning the game and the division, but a late turnover cost the Titans both.
The Titans host Jacksonville (9-7) on Sunday with the Jaguars in the reverse position from a year ago, needing to win to clinch a consecutive title. Tennessee has lost its last three home games by three points each, two in overtime.
“We need a win for a lot of reasons,” Vrabel said.
WHAT’S WORKING
Despite a revolving door at spots on defense, the Titans remain the NFL’s stingiest unit when backed up inside their own 20, allowing touchdowns on 37.9% of drives. They held Houston to three field goals.
The Texans scored only one touchdown on offense.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The offensive line. Tennessee already has allowed more sacks with 62 through 16 games than in any of its previous 24 seasons as the Titans. The line has allowed 13 sacks in the past two losses alone, the first resulting in an injury to quarterback Will Levis for the second time in three games.
The Titans may wind up replacing as many as four starters this offseason. Only the Jets (63) and Giants (83) have allowed more sacks.
STOCK UP
Ryan Tannehill. The veteran quarterback, whose contract is up after this season, came off the bench and completed his first nine passes. He finished 16 of 20 for 168 yards and a 101.7 passer rating despite being sacked five times. Tannehill told reporters later he felt like John Wick at the end of a movie, while not specifying which chapter of the gunslinger series starring Keanu Reeves.
STOCK DOWN
WR Treylon Burks. The 18th pick overall in the 2022 draft dropped a deep pass from Levis on the second play from scrimmage. At a minimum, a deep completion might’ve eased the pressure on the Titans’ woeful offensive line and kept Levis healthy.
INJURIES
Vrabel said Levis (right foot) will be evaluated throughout the week. Tannehill will start if the rookie is unable to play. The Titans listed 18 players last week on their injury report, which included Levis with a sprained left ankle.
RG Daniel Brunskill lasted 12 snaps after starting with an injured ankle that cost him a start a week ago. Rookie Colton Dowell hurt a knee while being the gunner on punt coverage. TE Kevin Rader appeared to take a helmet off a knee.
KEY NUMBER
0 — The Titans are another loss from going winless in the AFC South. Before this latest loss, they had the best record in the division since 2018 at 19-15 under Vrabel. They will finish last for the first time since the 2015 season. They’ve lost eight straight divisional games.
Worse? Vrabel has yet to beat any of the AFC South’s current coaches.
NEXT STEPS
Finish this season as quickly as possible. Assess the coaching staff, then get ready for free agency with the second-most cap space in the NFL for the 2024 season. The Titans also are poised to draft inside the top eight for the first time since 2017, when they had the fifth overall pick.
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