Special Teams Woes Continue to Doom Titans

The Tennessee Titans are still lackluster on special teams.

Nov 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis (12) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans were right in the thick of things with the Los Angeles Chargers midway through the third quarter in their Week 10 matchup, trailing by just a field goal.

However, a 56-yard return from Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis brought Los Angeles into Tennessee territory on an explosive play. Just a few minutes later, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert found wide receiver Quentin Johnston for a 16-yard touchdown on the drive that broke the game open. The Chargers went up 10 and the Titans never trailed by less than that for the rest of the game.

The troubles on special teams are nothing new for the Titans, and coach Brian Callahan addressed that after the game against the Chargers.

"We have to cover better," Callahan said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "Kickoff coverage, you have to beat your man and cover the ball. We didn't do a good enough job of that on that particular return. … We can't give up the one huge play on special teams a game. We have to find a way to get that shut down."

While the special teams performance wasn't as abysmal as it was back in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions where the Titans allowed hundreds of yards off of returns, plays like this are still costing the team.

Had the Titans gotten Davis stopped sooner or if the kickoff sailed into the endzone for a touchback, perhaps the Chargers wouldn't have scored at that drive, forcing a punt and giving the Titans a chance to take the lead.

While big plays aren't going the Titans way in these losses, it's the smaller details that are also biting them in the butt. Tennessee needs to fix these errors if it wants any chance at salvaging anything in the second half of the season.

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