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Same story, different day as Titans fall to Bills



Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson are committed to ensuring that we’re no longer the same old Titans, but damn, this is getting old. After rattling off three straight wins – each more impressive than the one prior – the Titans fell on their faces while visiting the Buffalo Bills, losing 13-12 on a last second field goal. Embarrassingly enough, the score does not do justice to the way Buffalo performed Sunday, as they overpowered the Titans in the trenches, swarmed to the ball on defense, and predictably ground-and-pounded their way to long, time-consuming drives.

The game reeks of a familiar stench and brings back memories of last year’s late season losses against the lowly 49ers and Cardinals, losses that eventually cost the Titans the division. Titan fans hoped that a change in coaching staff would have remedied the team’s penchant for playing down to the level of their opponents, but this issue is clearly rooted in something much deeper. The confidence exuded from players this past week, demanding national attention and respect from the media after starting the season 3-1, proved to be naïve arrogance, as this team – no, franchise – is still learning how to win consistently and convincingly. It’s proving to be a laborious and fickle process.

It was evident from the start, when the ball popped out of Taywan Taylor’s arms on the second play from scrimmage, that the Titans lacked the necessary focus for the game. This was amplified even louder on Buffalo’s ensuing possession, as rookie QB Josh Allen scrambled for a touchdown, making pass rusher Kamalei Correa pay for his terrible angle. The Titans continued their sloppy play throughout the rest of the day, with an inexcusable drop by Nick Williams – that would have certainly gone for a touchdown – putting an exclamation point on their frustrating performance.

While it’s difficult to identify the true reason for the Titans’ perpetual inability to cruise to victories over less-talented teams, this loss highlighted obvious issues that were disguised by the winning streak. Poor tackling and issues stopping the run are more recent concerns when considering years past, but the lack of a reliable and consistent receiving corps continues to haunt the Titans. Mariota has been consistently let down by a patchwork group of receivers, and the losses of Delanie Walker and Rishard Matthews have never stung so painfully. Second year tight end Jonnu Smith has disappeared during his opportunity to cement himself as a contributor for this offense, and the quartet of Taywan Taylor, Tajae Sharpe, Darius Jennings and the now-cut Nick Williams are clearly unable to combine and provide the consistency that Matthews gave this team. While it would have been impossible for the depth-conscious Jon Robinson to foresee losing the Titans’ top two receiving targets so early in the season, his neglect to improving the depth at receiver has put the offense in a difficult position.

The Titans return home to play the Baltimore Ravens, another team coming off a disappointing loss to an inferior opponent, this Sunday. History would tell us that the Titans will rise to the occasion and compete against another strong team. This may be the case on Sunday, but moving forward, the Titans will need to simultaneously learn how to mentally prepare and focus for each game, while solving for their crippling receiving issues on offense.