Titans' woes continue with new coach and another loss, this time to Vrabel, Patriots

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a new coach and yet another loss featuring too many of the issues that have plagued this franchise this season.

Five sacks allowed and two turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, led the Titans to being blown out 31-13 by New England and former coach Mike Vrabel in a final score that could've been worse if not for the Patriots taking a knee late.

They also lost three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons early to an injured hamstring, and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed followed in the second half with a quadricep 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 coaches are trying to put the Titans into the best position: “We’re not going to make any excuses.”

The Titans did look different in the first quarter following Monday's firing of 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 the fourth touchdown this season. Cam Ward found fellow rookie Chimere Dike for a 38-yard TD and a 10-3 lead.

It was their biggest lead since Week 16 of last season when the Titans also led the Colts by seven.

Ward completed 10 of his first 11 passes and had 148 yards passing by halftime. That alone would've ranked as his total passing yardage for two complete games.

“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 minutes, I think we did a nice job there.”

The Patriots went up 17-13, leaving the Titans 49 seconds with the ball and three timeouts. McCoy didn't use a single timeout, and Ward wound up throwing the ball away as time expired. Kicker Joey Slye had made a 50-yarder into the wind putting the Titans up 13-10 with 1:48 left.

McCoy said the wind was howling and they didn't want to give the ball back to the Patriots. Ward took blame for not taking a completion that put both coaches and the offense in a bad situation.

“I just got to be better,” Ward said. “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.”

This time the Titans fell apart in the second half starting when Ward simply lost the ball midway through the third quarter just before being sacked. K'Lavon Chaisson picked it up and scored.

This is the second game in a row that's happened to the No. 1 overall pick.

“Got to hold on to it tighter,” Ward said of the ball. “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 sign of improvement came with penalties. The Titans were flagged only three times for 15 yards — a season low in both categories. Yet they left with a seventh straight home loss and their most recent win at Nissan Stadium was Nov. 3, 2024, against the Patriots. It was the Titans' only home win of that season.

Safety Amani Hooker said they have to fix all the little things across the board to do what they want most.

“We’ve just got to find a way to win,” Hooker said.

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