Winless Titans remain confident they can turn season around despite 0-3 start

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The winless Tennessee Titans remain confident they have a team capable of winning the Super Bowl.

On paper.

The Titans are 0-3 in a league where only six teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after starting 0-3 and only one since 2000. None won a Super Bowl.

First-year coach Brian Callahan is trying to fix a franchise that has lost 21 of its past 27 after a 30-14 loss to Green Bay and a quarterback the Titans traded away at the end of August.

The Titans haven't struggled this much since going 5-27 in a span that cost Ken Whisenhunt his job in November 2015. This also is their worst start to a season since losing the first six in 2009 before salvaging an 8-8 record notable most for Chris Johnson becoming the sixth man in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season.

Callahan said every NFL team hits a rough patch every season and it's still early.

“We haven’t played anywhere close to what we’re capable of playing, and I think that our guys know that," Callahan said Monday. "My job is to make sure we keep pushing forward, and we still feel like we’ve got to go play football games. I mean, we’ve got a whole lot left. There’s a lot of football left to play, and we got to find a way to play better.

That's why the Titans insist their confidence remains high. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who worked with Callahan in Cincinnati, said the Titans need more consistency after showing flashes in each game. He noted Houston is 2-1 atop the AFC South.

“It's still winnable,” Boyd said of the division.

What’s working

The defense is giving up just 139.3 yards passing per game and still is among the best teams in yards allowed.

Yet the Titans still are looking for their first takeaway of the season with seven new starters under first-year coordinator Dennard Wilson.

What needs help

The offense. Callahan not only is a new head coach, this is his first season as the offensive play-caller. The Titans have yet to score more than 17 points in any game this season and still are looking to score at all in the fourth quarter.

They have allowed 15 sacks, one ahead of Cleveland. The Titans are last in the league with a minus-7 turnover margin with Will Levis having eight turnovers. His five interceptions to start this season are one more than he had in nine starts as a rookie, and two have been returned for touchdowns.

Stock up

DeAndre Hopkins. The five-time Pro Bowl receiver caught six of the seven passes thrown to him for a team-best 73 yards receiving and his first TD of the season. The one he didn't catch? Levis stared him down, and Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander jumped the ball for a pick-6. Hopkins looked like himself for the first time since hurting his left knee July 31.

Stock down

Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. The third-round pick out of Ohio State in 2022 was given every opportunity to start. He was pulled after Kingsley Enagbare turned in the sixth-fastest sack in the NFL so far, racing past Petit-Frere in just 2.66 seconds to Levis for the sack and strip. The Titans replaced Petit-Frere with Jaelyn Duncan, a sixth-round draft selection out of Maryland in 2023, for the final 19 snaps.

Callahan said after the game they would see what Duncan could do moving forward. On Monday, he said they'll let those tackles “play it out" after Petit-Frere had three “real bad plays.”

Injuries

Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie left early with an injured groin that will keep him out for several weeks with an injured reserve spot likely. Two-time Pro Bowl DL Jeffery Simmons has an elbow injury.

Key number

38 — The number of consecutive games the Titans have failed to score at least 30 points. They previously reached that number Jan. 2, 2022, in a 3 4-3 home win over Miami.

Next steps

Figure out how to protect Levis better and score more points. Beat the Dolphins in Miami (1-2) on Sept. 30 in prime time in the Titans' second straight team playing a backup because QB of injury.

Then use the early bye to correct more issues. They host Indianapolis on Oct. 13 for their first divisional game, then play five of seven on the road.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press