NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Titans made the switch to Will Levis in part to see if they have a quarterback of the future. But they also want to win now and still have nine games left to turn a disappointing 3-5 start to the season around.
In order to do that, however, they will have to finally break through and win on the road starting with Sunday’s trip to Tampa Bay.
“We need to find a way to win on the road,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “We had a close game in New Orleans, had too many turnovers. Didn't play or coach well enough in Cleveland, and we can go all the way down the road. It's been some good things and some productive plays that we've had. Again, it's just the consistency and the overall execution that you have to have to be able to win on the road in some of those situations.”
It’s been 51 weeks since the last time the Titans emerged victorious from a road trip, dating back to Nov. 17th last season and a Thursday Night Football win in Green Bay. With Tennessee sitting in last place in the AFC South and its next two games at Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, it feels like it’s now or never for this team to flip the season around.
The Titans have been a completely different team away from the friendly confines of Nissan Stadium this season. In three home wins they have averaged nearly 28 points per game. They’ve averaged less than half that, scoring just 13 points per game, in their five losses away from home.
In fact, they’ve scored exactly 16 points on their last three road trips, losing each contest by a score. They’re not that far off, but they have to get over the hump.
With Levis providing a spark to the offense with more of a downfield passing game, the Titans know they have to score more points on the road to win.
“I think we’re just not executing on the road or whatever the case may be,” star running back Derrick Henry said. “But hopefully that changes this Sunday. It really just comes down to executing when we get down in the red zone and putting up points. When you get down there you’ve got to make sure it ends with seven.”
Even the Titans' normally reliable defense hasn’t traveled in the way they expected. Jeffery Simmons and company harassed Falcons quarterbacks all afternoon at home two weeks ago, racking up six sacks. In their last two games away from Nashville they’ve totaled just two quarterback hits.
And over the last four games, three of which have been played away from home, Tennessee has ranked last in the NFL in run defense. A disturbing trend for a team that prides itself on being physical and stopping the run.
“At the end of the day we have to find ways to win, especially on defense,” defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. “Whether that’s on the back end or the front end, we all have to be on the same page.”
The good news for the Titans is if they can find a way to win one or both of the next two weeks they can get back in the Wild Card hunt and maybe even the division race. At 5-5 or 4-6, a late season run is not out of the question considering Tennessee has five of its last seven games at home, including games against the Panthers, Colts, Texans, and the first-place Jaguars to end the season.
But two more losses would make it a very long and difficult uphill climb, and perhaps have the Titans looking even more towards next season and beyond with Levis and a likely rebuild. That’s why Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers feels like a must-win, even if no one wants to say it.
“We still have the right guys to go in there and go do it, we’ve just got to go do it,” Henry said. “We need to play well on Sunday, put it together in all three phases, and go out there and get a win.”
