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12/29 14:36 CST Titans try to focus on Jaguars knowing change is coming after
season finale
Titans try to focus on Jaguars knowing change is coming after season finale
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- The Tennessee Titans know change is coming once this
season is finished, and the challenge now is staying focused on the finale.
After all, they won't get another chance to string together consecutive wins
until the 2026 season starts.
The Titans missed out once again on winning back-to-back games with their home
finale loss to the New Orleans Saints, continuing a drought that stretches back
to November 2022. Worse, they blew a 13-point lead in losing 34-26 to the
Saints.
Four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was surprised when interim
coach Mike McCoy told the Titans just how long it had been since the team won
two games in a row.
"We can't stack no more wins right now, we've just got to focus on this last
one against Jacksonville," Simmons said. "When we get ready to come back this
offseason and leading up to next year, it's going to be different."
A loss from matching last season's record at 3-14 has hidden the Titans'
reasons for optimism.
Cam Ward has thrown for 3,117 yards, becoming the first rookie with a
3,000-yard passing season in franchise history and the first to top 3,000 yards
since Ryan Tannehill in 2021. Ward has 15 touchdown passes with seven
interceptions, and eight TDs have come over the past four games with only one
pick.
McCoy said Ward again had some "wow plays" showing he can make the easy and
really difficult plays.
Ward wants to finish with a win that would be Tennessee's third in the final
five games.
"The best thing about this team is that we know change is coming," Ward said
after the loss to the Saints. "Change is coming in seven days."
What's working The Titans are putting points on the board. They managed to score at least 20 only three times through the first 10 games, a big reason they won only once in that stretch. Now the Titans have scored at least 24 points in five of the past six games. The only time the Titans didn't score at least 24 points in this stretch was Nov. 30 in a 25-3 loss to the Jaguars. What needs help The defense. The Titans limited New Orleans to just 92 yards and 10 points by halftime. The Saints rolled over them in the second half, outscoring them 24-6 and piling up yards. The Titans missed too many tackles, including on a 32-yard TD run with 3:44 left that turned a one-point deficit into the final score. It doesn't help that the Titans' secondary had two starters traded away early this season and battered by injuries since. They lost cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis on the third play to an Achilles tendon injury. Stock up Tight end Chig Okonkwo. He shook off a would-be tackle after picking up a first down on a fourth-and-2 toss from Ward, and he turned the play into a 43-yard TD. Okonkwo leads the Titans with 54 catches for 558 yards. Stock down Ward had done a good job protecting the ball better when being smothered by pass rushers. He hadn't fumbled in four of the previous five games. Against the Saints, he fumbled twice. The first was taken away by Chase Young, who ran 33 yards for a TD to jumpstart New Orleans' comeback. The second came on the final play of the game when Ward couldn't throw the ball before fumbling. "Anytime you're in a Hail Mary situation at the end of the game, we got to find a way to get that ball out," McCoy said Monday. "Whether it's stepping up in the pocket, letting that ball go, whatever you've got to do, we've got to find an opportunity to give ourselves a chance to go up and get that ball." Injuries Armour-Davis (Achilles tendon) and WR Van Jefferson (forearm) will be recovering into the offseason. Key number 55 --- The times Ward has been sacked as a rookie, most of any quarterback with 16 games played this season. Next steps Try to spoil the playoff seeding and AFC South title hopes for the Jaguars (12-4) or wind up matching last season's record at 3-14. The only wrinkle is the Titans likely can pick no higher than fourth overall in the 2026 draft. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl |
