NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a new coach and yet another loss marked by many of the issues that have plagued this franchise all season long. Five sacks allowed and two turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, led to a 31-13 blowout defeat at the hands of New England and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel. The final score could have been worse if not for the Patriots taking a knee late in the game.

The Titans also suffered significant injuries, losing three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons early in the game with a hamstring injury, followed by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in the second half due to a quadriceps injury.

“No one’s trying to make a mistake,” interim coach Mike McCoy said. “No player is out there trying to make a mistake, but we also have to coach them and talk about the little things, the fine little details that it takes to get over this hump.”

McCoy added that the coaching staff is focused on putting the Titans in the best possible position. “We’re not going to make any excuses,” he said.

The Titans did appear somewhat different in the opening quarter, following Monday’s firing of head coach Brian Callahan six games into his second season. A team that had been outscored 47-9 in the first quarter through the first six games took an early 3-0 lead, then scored only their fourth touchdown of the season. Quarterback Cam Ward connected with fellow rookie Chimere Dike on a 38-yard touchdown pass, giving the Titans a 10-3 lead.

It was the Titans’ biggest lead since Week 16 of last season when they also led the Colts by seven points. Ward completed 10 of his first 11 passes and amassed 148 yards passing by halftime—a figure that would have represented his total passing yardage for two complete games earlier this season.

“We got off to a better start,” McCoy said. “I think the way we played the first half as a whole until the last couple of minutes, I think we did a nice job there.”

The Patriots pushed back to take a 17-13 lead, leaving the Titans with 49 seconds and three timeouts to respond. However, McCoy chose not to use any timeouts, and Ward ended up throwing the ball away as time expired. Kicker Joey Slye had earlier made a 50-yard field goal into the wind, putting the Titans ahead 13-10 with 1:48 left.

McCoy explained the decision by citing the “howling” wind and a desire not to give the ball back to the Patriots. Ward took responsibility for the sequence, saying, “I just got to be better. We got to be better as a whole, and then at the end of the day, we’ve got to win games. We have to start next week by winning a football game.”

The Titans fell apart in the second half, starting midway through the third quarter when Ward lost control of the ball just before being sacked. Patriots linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. This marked the second consecutive game in which Ward has had a similar turnover.

“Got to hold on to it tighter,” Ward said regarding the ball security issue. “But really, just got to continue to emphasize it within myself. Got to be better at it. I know that’s something that I can’t continue to let happen. I got to cut that out next week.”

One positive sign of improvement for Tennessee came in the form of penalties. The Titans were flagged only three times for 15 yards, a season low in both categories. However, the loss extended their home losing streak to seven games. Their most recent win at Nissan Stadium was on November 3, 2024, a narrow victory over the Patriots—the Titans’ only home win that season.

Safety Amani Hooker emphasized the need for the team to improve. “We’ve just got to find a way to win,” Hooker said. “We have to fix all the little things across the board to do what we want most.”

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AP NFL

https://wtop.com/nfl/2025/10/titans-woes-continue-with-new-coach-and-another-loss-this-time-to-vrabel-patriots/