The Tennessee Titans (1-11) took a massive step backward in their Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking more like the undisciplined, unprepared team from earlier in the season than the unit that put up a fight against the Seattle Seahawks a week ago.
Tennessee struggled to get anything going, and between penalties, poor offensive line play, and allowing too many explosive plays, they had no chance against a Jaguars team that came to play and left with a share of the AFC South division lead.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Titans will regroup and prepare for a trip to Cleveland to face Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns.
Before we move on, here's a quick report card from Sunday’s action.
Offense
Cam Ward was not sharp, and he got little help from his perimeter receiving corps, who could not gain separation throughout the afternoon and had too many drops. Couple that with a dismal performance on third downs, and the unit got nothing going after the initial drive of the game.
The offense started with one of its best drives of the season, mixing run and pass, but after that, the issues that had plagued them early in the season came rushing back, and the unit looked completely overmatched by the Jaguars’ defense. It was a rough outing and a definite step back.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGrade: D
Defense
The defense was better than it was against the Seahawks, but the lack of cornerback depth without Jalyn Armour-Davis was noticeable. The unit is already thin and struggles to match up with the Jaguars’ receiving corps. When you couple the secondary struggles with an invisible pass rush, it makes for a long afternoon.
While they were better this week, the defense still gave up too many big plays, got almost zero help from the offense (or special teams), and wore down.
Grade: C
Special teams
The special teams were anything but special. Between turnovers and crushing penalties, they were unable to capitalize on some opportunities and, for the most part, had a rough day.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementChimere Dike did rip off another big return and made some other plays that made an impact, but his first-quarter fumble on a kickoff return changed the momentum of the game, and the Titans never recovered. Joey Slye made his only attempt for the Titans' only points, but that was nowhere near enough.
Grade: C
Coaching
Yes, Tennessee entered the game with some injuries and roster questions, but after the first series, it appeared completely unprepared to take the field on Sunday. In a game that turned into a flagfest with 23 combined penalties, the Titans’ lack of discipline again came to light, and they got the worst end of the penalty stick with 13, including multiple that gave the Jaguars new life.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTennessee has shown some improvement in recent weeks, but that was far from the case this week, with the team looking more like the Brian Callahan-led unit than those that took the field against the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.
Grade: D
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans report card: How we graded the Week 13 loss to Jaguars
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