Vrabel: Titans 'At a Crossroads'

Back-to-back defeats has the AFC South's first-place team looking to refocus with a little more than a month remaining in the 2022 NFL season.

Eric Hartline / USA Today Sports

It has been some time since the Tennessee Titans lost three games in a row.

Coach Mike Vrabel conceded Sunday that they could be headed in that direction if they’re not careful.

The Titans lost a second straight game Sunday when they fell 35-10 on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles. That dropped them to 7-5 overall, worst among the AFC’s four division leaders.

“I think we’re at a crossroads,” Vrabel said following the contest. “I told the team I think we’re at a crossroads [with] kind of how we want to continue down this season. We can’t point fingers. We have to assume that each and every one of us didn’t do a good enough job – because we didn’t.

“… It sucks losing. It sucks getting beat the way we did. But we have to make a decision. How much we are willing to invest and trust in what the coaches are doing, trust in what the other players are doing? I think it’s a critical time for us.”

This now the second time this season that Vrabel’s team has dropped two in a row. Tennessee started the season 0-2 but then won five in a row and seven of its next eight. In so doing, the Titans took control of the AFC South and themselves itself for a fourth straight playoff appearance.

The roll ended with a 20-16 loss to Cincinnati at home on Nov. 27. Then came the loss to the Eagles, a game in which Tennessee never led and was outgained 453-209.

“We’re going to find out what we’re about,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “We have a resilient group. We’re tough and we have bounced back from a lot before. And I believe we’ll bounce back from this.

“… At the end of the day, this one’s done. It stings. It hurts. We’re all disappointed. We’re all frustrated. Mad. Angry. Every emotion you can name. But we have to be able to get over it and get ready to go win the next one.”

The next one is Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8), who lost five in a row earlier this season and have not won back-to-back games since Weeks 2 and 3. Jacksonville is third in the division, a half a game behind Indianapolis (4-7-1).

“We have to come to work with greater energy and greater resolve to prepare to win a football game against a division opponent,” Vrabel said.

Since the start of 2020, the Titans are now 10-4 following a defeat, the third-best mark in the NFL. With Tannehill as their starting quarterback, they never have lost more than two in a row.

They did drop consecutive contests once each in 2020 and 2021. It happened three times in 2019, the first two before Tannehill replaced Marcus Mariota.

“I think we just [need to] come together, stick together,” running back Derrick Henry said. “These times we need to be closer and be positive and be real with each other and know what we’ve got to do as a team to be able to win games and play the style we want to play.

“That’s what you’ve got to do when you have two tough losses like this. Everybody has to focus on doing their job a little better. Much better.”

The last time Tennessee lost three straight was 2018, Vrabel’s first season as head coach. Then, a three-game slide in October was answered with wins in six of the next eight.

That also was the last time this franchise failed to reach the postseason.

“If we want to be a playoff team, we have to decide what we are going to do,” safety Kevin Byard said. “What are we going to be? Leaders, coaches, everybody in this organization, we have to get this thing straight right now. We don’t have any time to lose. What are going to do right now? Obviously it’s very frustrating to lose a game right now but we can’t be dropping anymore games like this in December.”