Titans Defense Delivers Worst Performance to Date vs. Commanders

The Tennessee Titans defense struggled against the Washington Commanders.

Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball as Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) and Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) tackle during the first half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans defense has been one of the better units in the league through most of the season, but that didn't appear to be the case as the team lost 42-13 against the Washington Commanders in Week 13 at Northwest Stadium.

The Titans surrendered touchdowns on the first two Commanders drives with reasonable field position, but then the offense turned the ball over twice, leading to another pair of Washington touchdowns on shorter fields.

The whiplash from going down 28-0 in the first 20 minutes of the game froze the Titans defense.

“They did a hell of a job with the type of running they was running," Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. "They did a lot of gap scheme runs, and we knew that coming in and we didn’t have an answer early on. We didn’t have an answer for it, and like I said, we could sit and blame just the front. That’s on everybody on the defense side. Like I said, it starts from top to bottom."

Simmons provided further context on why the Titans defensive line struggled, particularly when it came to a lack of execution for the team's game plan going into the matchup.

"You know the game is going, we said it on the sideline, they’re running gap scheme," Simmons said. "Gap scheme runs where they’re pulling guys, gap changes. Like I said, it’s all the 11 on the field because at the end of the day, they doing and doubling, and start pulling guys, we have to be better. We have to fit it better, and like I said, some of the things and the positions that we were in, they were just gashing in those. Especially early on in the game, like I said, from top to bottom, we had no answer in the first half of what they were doing.”

Simmons and the Titans will look to correct their mistakes in practice this week ahead of their next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Titans Surely Regret This Painful Offseason Decision
• Titans Too Little, Too Late in Loss to Commanders
• Lions Sign Former Titans Safety
• Titans' Issues Clearly Run Much Deeper Than Will Levis
• Titans Slammed With Brutal Reality Check