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12/01 14:49 CST Titans match longest home skid in Tennessee with 7th straight
loss this season
Titans match longest home skid in Tennessee with 7th straight loss this season
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- Becoming the first AFC team officially eliminated
from playoff contention was only a matter of time for the NFL's lone one-win
team.
Yet, the Titans keep finding new lows this season after seven consecutive
losses and having matched the franchise's longest home skid since moving to
Tennessee with 11 straight.
"On the bright side, I mean there's really nothing that can get worse," rookie
quarterback Cam Ward said.
The Titans (1-11) continue hurting themselves with the same mistakes made under
coach Brian Callahan and his replacement Mike McCoy. Too many penalties, sacks
allowed, turnovers and an offense that struggles to stay on the field let alone
find the end zone repeatedly.
The No. 1 overall pick in April still is looking for his first home victory in
the NFL. He said everything is self-inflicted: "It's been like that the whole
year."
McCoy, who has yet to win in six games as interim coach, said the Titans are
looking for consistency after the three previous losses were all decided by
seven points or fewer. Yes, trying to win games is the biggest goal.
"You're trying to go out there and win and play your best football," McCoy
said. "We've got to do a better job so we can win these games."
The Titans dropped their latest, 25-3 to Jacksonville with the fans who showed
up booing early and often before leaving early. Defensive tackle Jeffery
Simmons already sounds ready for the offseason with a new head coach fixing
their woes.
"Nothing is clicking right now," Simmons said. "We've got five more games, and
then we'll get somebody in here. The culture and everything have to be better
around here. But we'll figure that out. We've got five more games."
What's working The pass rush. The Titans rank 13th in the NFL with 30 sacks after adding three more for the fifth time in six games. That's two shy of matching what Tennessee had all of last season. Simmons, the three-time Pro Bowler, has a team-high 6 1/2 sacks and is just two shy of matching his career best.
What needs help The offense is at the top of a lengthy list. The Titans avoided a second shutout this season settling for a field goal on fourth-and-3 at the Jaguars 10 on their opening drive. It's the sixth time they've kicked a field goal on their opening drive this season. They also went three-and-out four times in this latest loss and three other drives were ended by turnover on downs. The Titans remain at the bottom of the NFL in averaging 14.2 points a game.
Stock up Chimere Dike. The rookie lost a fumble on a kickoff, but Dike returned a punt 47 yards. He padded his league-leading total to 1,921 all-purpose yards, matching Derrick Mason with at least 1,900 all-purpose yards through 12 games of a season.
Stock down Elic Ayomanor. The rookie wide receiver returned from missing a game with an injured hamstring, but he caught only one of five passes thrown to him for 5 yards.
Injuries McCoy had no update Monday on receiver Xavier Restrepo, who was carted off the field late in this latest loss with an injured right ankle, or safety Amani Hooker who hurt a rib late.
Key number 7 --- Games lost by double digits this season, matching the Titans' total for all of 2024.
Next steps Can the Titans avoid the franchise's third one-win record for a full NFL season and first since 1973? Can they avoid matching the team's worst home skid? The then-Houston Oilers lost 13 straight over the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Each team went 1-13. The Oilers went 1-8 during the 1982 strike season. They start a two-game road swing Sunday at Cleveland (3-9) followed by a trip to San Francisco (9-4). Then it's back home for the last two games against the Chiefs (6-6) and New Orleans (2-10). ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
What's working The pass rush. The Titans rank 13th in the NFL with 30 sacks after adding three more for the fifth time in six games. That's two shy of matching what Tennessee had all of last season. Simmons, the three-time Pro Bowler, has a team-high 6 1/2 sacks and is just two shy of matching his career best.
What needs help The offense is at the top of a lengthy list. The Titans avoided a second shutout this season settling for a field goal on fourth-and-3 at the Jaguars 10 on their opening drive. It's the sixth time they've kicked a field goal on their opening drive this season. They also went three-and-out four times in this latest loss and three other drives were ended by turnover on downs. The Titans remain at the bottom of the NFL in averaging 14.2 points a game.
Stock up Chimere Dike. The rookie lost a fumble on a kickoff, but Dike returned a punt 47 yards. He padded his league-leading total to 1,921 all-purpose yards, matching Derrick Mason with at least 1,900 all-purpose yards through 12 games of a season.
Stock down Elic Ayomanor. The rookie wide receiver returned from missing a game with an injured hamstring, but he caught only one of five passes thrown to him for 5 yards.
Injuries McCoy had no update Monday on receiver Xavier Restrepo, who was carted off the field late in this latest loss with an injured right ankle, or safety Amani Hooker who hurt a rib late.
Key number 7 --- Games lost by double digits this season, matching the Titans' total for all of 2024.
Next steps Can the Titans avoid the franchise's third one-win record for a full NFL season and first since 1973? Can they avoid matching the team's worst home skid? The then-Houston Oilers lost 13 straight over the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Each team went 1-13. The Oilers went 1-8 during the 1982 strike season. They start a two-game road swing Sunday at Cleveland (3-9) followed by a trip to San Francisco (9-4). Then it's back home for the last two games against the Chiefs (6-6) and New Orleans (2-10). ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
