Well, folks, it’s official. The Tennessee Titans have been mathematically booted from the playoff conversation. After a soul-crushing 25-3 beatdown by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Titans are now the proud owners of a 1-11 record, the worst in the entire league. For those keeping score at home, that means their postseason dreams are about as alive as a snowman in July. The only other team in the AFC South to share this particular brand of misery is the Las Vegas Raiders, who are also, shall we say, not going to the playoffs.
The Titans Locker Room Mood Is A Mess.
The mood in the locker room? It’s about as cheerful as a tax audit. Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, one of the last remaining players from the team’s glory days as the AFC’s No. 1 seed just four short years ago, didn’t mince words.
“Nothing is clicking right now for this team,” a visibly frustrated Simmons said Sunday. “We need to figure something out. We’ve got five games left. Once we figure this out and get through this season, we need to do a lot of self-reflecting.”
He didn’t stop there, adding that the team desperately needs leadership because “the culture and everything needs to be better.” You don’t say. When your team has only managed to win a measly four games since the start of last season, it’s safe to say the “culture” might need more than a little TLC. Again, culture would have been better if they had fired Brian Callahan last season.
Can the Titans Salvage What’s Left?
Tasked with steering this sinking ship is interim head coach Mike McCoy. He’s got the unenviable job of motivating a team with absolutely nothing to play for except, well, pride? Money? The sheer, unadulterated love of the game? McCoy, ever the optimist, is going with the “opportunity” angle.
“Every Sunday is a gem,” he preached on Monday. “You have an opportunity to play in the NFL to go play against the best… We’re all very fortunate to be in this business.”Sure, every Sunday is a gem. But right now, for the Titans, it feels more like a kidney stone. The players, however, seem to be buying into a different kind of motivation: playing spoiler.
Playing for Pride or Just for Spite?
With three of their last five games against playoff hopefuls (the 49ers, Chiefs, and a revenge match against the Jaguars), the Titans have a chance to drag a few teams down with them.”I think there’s a little bit of motivation factor of screwing it up for some teams that might be in that playoff picture,” right guard Peter Skoronski admitted. “That’s always a fun goal too… Guys are still hungry just to win a game. It’s been a while, unfortunately.”
It’s been nearly two months since Mike McCoy took over from the fired Brian Callahan, and the win column has been collecting dust ever since. Honestly, Mike McCoy is a slight improvement as at least he knows the basic rules of the game, unlike Callahan.
So What Now For the Titans?
While some fans might be secretly (or not-so-secretly) hoping for losses to secure the No. 1 draft pick for the second year in a row, the players are having none of it. They’re professionals, after all.
The players are still showing up, putting in the work, and trying to find a reason to fight. Whether it’s for pride, for the love of the game, or just for the petty satisfaction of ruining someone else’s season, the Tennessee Titans are determined to find a win somewhere in the wreckage of this disastrous year. Good luck with that.
