Mike Vrabel On Final Game Urgency: 'It Sucks To Lose'

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel expressed his disdain for losing during Tuesday's press conference, saying ''it sucks to lose. It f------ sucks losing.'' He's hoping the Titans can win their season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

NASHVILLE — On the heels of a 26-3 loss against the Houston Texans and mired in a three-game losing streak, Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel didn't mince words Tuesday when a reporter asked him why a win on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season finale would be meaningful.

"Because it sucks to lose," Vrabel said during Tuesday's press conference.  Vrabel paused and continued with a direct answer that showed frustration with the Titans' 5-11 record and last-place standing in the AFC South. 

"It f------ sucks losing. Awful," Vrabel said. "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."

Vrabel's response was a reminder of how impactful NFL games are for the players, coaches, and support staff of every team. 

"It's not about, 'Hey, we'll go into the offseason with a good note.' Nobody knows what you did on January 7th or 8th or 6th in April when you come back," Vrabel said. "But you want to see just it all come together and just put four quarters together. Win a game like we talked about."

It's easy for fans to root for a loss because it would improve the Titans' position in the 2024 NFL Draft. Sure, a higher draft slot would benefit Vrabel and the organization, but he made it clear he's focused on defeating a Jaguars team still vying for a playoff spot.

"You come in, 'Well, close game.' Yeah, we feel the same way. And that game the other day, we got to put ourselves into a competitive game where it's back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and there's some field position, and then you score, and you take care of the football," Vrabel said. 

"And we just hadn't done that in the opportunities that we had. Then we're like, 'OK, we fought and we were close.' But I think that's why. You just put yourself in a competitive situation, come up with a way to make a play in the second half to win the game. That what I hope for."

This hasn't been the season Vrabel had hoped for. The Titans are 5-11, while all three other AFC South foes are 9-7 and fighting for playoff spots. The Titans were eliminated three weeks ago.

Jacksonville holds all the tiebreakers and can win the division with a win over the Titans. The game starts at Noon CT. 

"We're all disappointed and frustrated by how this went this year," Vrabel said. "But we're just trying to make sure that it's as professional and as classy as we finish. We put the players in the best position to go out there and again, win, but then also, there's still a lot of guys that are playing for personal accolades as well and I'm absolutely OK with that because we've always said that when you get enough guys that have personal success within what we're trying to do as a team, we're going to have plenty of team success. So those things have to coexist, and I want them to one more week."

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