Slow Start Comes With Deadly Price for Titans

The Tennessee Titans dug a hole for themselves early against the Washington Commanders.

Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) passes the ball against the Washington Commanders during the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It felt like the Tennessee Titans blinked and found themselves down 28-0 in their Week 13 loss against the Washington Commanders, knocking them out of the game before it truly began.

Titans coach Brian Callahan attempted to give an explanation behind the team's early struggles.

"The turnovers was the main one," Callahan said. "We ended with two balls in plus territory and that's how you get jumped on. When you’ve got short fields like that. You can't do that. We didn't blow up either on defense in that in that spot. But again, give them two really short fields to go score, and all of a sudden, you’re 14-0 real fast. Couldn't get any rhythm going offensively. Got to some manageable third downs, and we got a ball batted on third-and-short, and then we fumbled the ball on a possession, so couldn't get much going and that's what happened.”

It's not the first time the Titans came out of the gates flat, but Callahan didn't have much of an answer to explain the bad habits.

“It’s hard to put a finger on it," Callahan said. "Again, they made some plays and turned the ball over, and that's the early recipe for a bad start. But yeah, I can't put my finger on that one necessarily, and it's just disappointing.”

The Titans' low energy in the first quarter was immediately snuffed out by the Commanders, and they began to pounce on Tennessee's weak spot. After the Titans punted on their first two drives, the Commanders immediately scored. Then, after turning it over on the third and fourth possessions, the Commanders quickly turned it into points, knocking the Titans out of the game.

"I don't know if it was just the energy or we put them in some tough spots to begin with," Callahan said. "But yeah, the way we started the game all the way around was disappointing. And that's what happens. You do it against a good team, and you get put down 28-0 before the bell even rings for halftime, so disappointed in that. I’ve got to find a way to fix that.”

The Titans will look to fix that in practice this week before facing off against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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