Three Straight Losses to Test Titans' Resolve

It has been more than four years since Mike Vrabel's team went this long without a victory. The last time was not as bad as this one.

NASHVILLE – This is not the first time with Mike Vrabel in charge that the Tennessee Titans have lost three straight games.

This is something different, though.

A 36-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on Sunday has the Titans reeling in a way they have not been since the disastrous 2015 season. Granted, the current bunch is a long way from that one, which finished tied for the NFL’s worst record at 3-13. Yet it’s also a far cry from where it was a month ago when it had stacked seven victories in eight games and seemed well-positioned for a third straight AFC South title.

Tennessee (7-6) still has a winning record and remains two games up on the Jaguars (5-8) with four to play. However, this bunch has lost a handle on its formula for success as evidenced by the fact that it was minus-4 on turnovers and – after an early 14-7 lead – allowed the Jaguars to score 29 straight points.

“I mean, who likes to lose?” linebacker Monty Rice said. “We didn't get in this sport or this business to take Ls. It’s not what I’m about, this team or any of us are about it. I mean, we put a lot into it. We have to get back to work (Monday) and get back to the drawing board and take coaching and fix mistakes”

Vrabel, now in his fifth season, often says that it is important for a team to play its best late in the year. That is not happening with these Titans.

The three-game slide is their first since 2018, Vrabel’s first season. Then (Weeks 5-7), two of the three losses were by a single point. Tennessee fell 13-12 to Buffalo and 20-19 against the Los Angeles Chargers, the latter because of a failed all-or-nothing two-point conversion attempt with 31 seconds to play. Opponents did not score more than 21 points in any of those contests.

This skid started innocently enough with a hard-fought 20-16 defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals, currently one of the NFL’s hottest teams. Then came a 35-10 loss at Philadelphia and the stunning reversal of fortune against Jacksonville, which had not win here since 2013.

Tennessee now has been outscored 91-48 in the three defeats. By comparison, opponents scored a combined 123 points in eight games from Week 3 through 11.

The last time the Titans allowed 35 points or more in consecutive contests was the final two weeks of 2020 – and one of those was a victory (41-38 over the Houston Texans).

“We kind of talk about – at this point of the year – where there are teams that are getting better trying to get to this playoff push, and some teams aren’t,” safety Kevin Byard said. “I think we’re trending in the opposite direction. That’s clear based upon the performance we put out there the last three weeks.

“At the end of the day, I’m not about to sit here and pout around. I’m not going to give any of that type of energy to it. I’m just going to … stand on it, stand on the performance we put out here. It’s all about how we respond at this point.”

In 2018, the Titans responded with four straight victories, which set the stage for a showdown against Indianapolis for the last AFC playoff spot in the final game of the season.

The Colts won that day, but Tennessee has not missed out on the postseason since and has shown real resolve. Each subsequent season has included at least one win streak of four games or more and losses have not been compiled with more losses – until now.

“I was excited about coming back home and excited about playing against a division opponent,” Vrabel said. “I thought we were prepared. I don't know what it says about this. We understand that there are going to be some ups and downs. We are going to have to be able to weather the storm and find out who is willing to give us that extra push here down the stretch.

“… It is about consistency in this league, whether you win or you lose. Unfortunately, we lost. It is about finding a level of consistency, that we show up (Monday) ready to make corrections, be honest, and try to get things fixed so that we can move forward and prepare to win a football game. That is all we do whether we win or we lose.”