Why can't Titans get better? The worst part is they can't trust everyone's trying

Pretend time is over. The Tennessee Titans know how bad they are.

"It’s just not clicking," defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. "Nothing’s clicking. We’re 1-11 for a reason."

"I don’t know why it keeps happening," quarterback Cam Ward added.

"To be real, I think you get frustrated when the same things keep happening over and over," cornerback Darrell Baker Jr., continued. "We all come out to practice. Every team in the NFL practices. But what’s your intentions when you practice? Do you give a (expletive) about what you do? We’re all grown men. Do your job. Do it to the fullest. Have some heart."

The problem isn't that the Titans lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars by 22 points, the most lopsided loss to their divisional rival in almost two decades. And the problem isn't that the Titans just lost their 11th straight game at Nissan Stadium. And the problem isn't that the Titans just lost their ninth straight AFC South game. The problem isn't how the Titans are eliminated from the 2025 postseason or how they've clinched last place in the AFC South for the third straight year.

If there is a single problem to be identified, it's that progress never seems to stick. Before this ugly 25-3 loss against the Jaguars, the Titans' last three losses had been by a combined 16 points against three likely playoff teams. Against the Chargers, the defense and special teams showed up to make big plays and affect the score. Against the Texans, the defense played its most complete game of the year. Against the Seahawks, the offense played its most complete game yet.

Then Jacksonville comes to town and all three phases regress. The offense only mustered 188 yards and 3.4 yards per play, the team's lowest marks since Week 4 and Week 1 respectively. The defense didn't log any takeaways, didn't make any red zone stops and was repeatedly gashed on pass plays over the middle in the early quarters, allowing Jacksonville to build its lead.

And the special teams lost a fumble, started a fight and turned a three-and-out into a 15-play scoring drive with a careless penalty. Throw in 10 penalties for 86 yards and this was about as complete of a no-show performance the Titans have cobbled together in a season full of them.

"It was a big step back," Titans guard Peter Skoronski said. "Honestly it was a pretty rough performance. I think we all saw that. I think everyone’s under the microscope including myself. We need to look at everything because it wasn’t good enough."

Skoronski pointed out the heightened frustration levels in the Titans locker room postgame, and he wasn't the only one. Some players, to be fair, chocked the frustration up to the added intensity of losing to a divisional rival. But others point to the recurring problems that continue to plague the Titans through their fourth straight season that'll end short of the postseason.

Baker in particular was vocal about what he sees holding the Titans back. Sometimes, Baker admits, he questions how intentional some of his teammates and coaches are about getting better. The things that need to happen day-in and day-out to fix problems aren't happening. That's true for the Titans' many, many rookies, but it's true for the veterans too.

"I would just say when the same mistakes are repeatedly made over and over, it’s like, have you done the right work to get better at that mistake so it doesn’t happen again?" Baker continued. "That’s not pointing a finger at nobody. But again, this is the NFL. This is our job. We’re all grown men. So we have to grow up and we have to grow up fast."

Well, that's another problem. The Titans actually don't have to grow up or grow up fast. The season, for all practical purposes, is over.

No playoffs. No coach to play for.

The guys who are under contract for next year know it, and the guys who aren't under contract for next year will have to impress the new regime before they re-sign anyway. Figuring things out this season doesn't really achieve anything tangible. Sure, the young players can "learn how to win," but that's a talking point more than a practical achievement. Winning happens when winning happens, and losing happens when losing happens. The 2022 Titans knew how to win... until they didn't. Knowing how to win is a trait that's awarded after the fact.

The Titans, at this rate, won't be fixed this season. It'll be up to the next coaching regime to come in and catalyze something that Brian Callahan's and Mike McCoy's bunches haven't been able to, and it'll be up to the players to buy into whatever's being taught and make it work.

"Once we get through this season, we’ve got to do a lot of self-reflecting. Whoever comes in and is this head coach, we need somebody who’s going to lead this football team," Simmons said. "Yeah, that’s it. We’ve got to figure it out."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: These Titans don't know how to get better, and aren't sure they're trying