How the Tennessee Titans fare heading into Week 17

Nate Davis, USA TODAY:

(Mason) Rudolph gifted three Christmas presents (INTs) to Indianapolis on Sunday, propagating a new team tradition – the Titans’ 32 turnovers leading the league now that they’ve coughed up the ball 14 times in their past five games alone.

Barry Werner, List Wire:

The Titans put 30 on the scoreboard but that wasn’t enough as they gave up 335 rushing yards to the Colts on the road.

NFL Nation, ESPN:

Brownlee has only one interception, but he is consistently around the ball with eight passes defended. The fifth-round pick snatched a starting role when veteran free agent additions Chidobe Awuzie and L’Jarius Sneed went down with injuries. Brownlee gladly took on assignments against two of the best receivers in the game when he helped keep Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase under 100 receiving yards each. “He was going up against well-respected receivers that a lot of people don’t challenge,” defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said. “He was press, being physical, rerouting and stayed connected at the top of the routes.”

Alex Kennedy, Pro Football Network:

With Sunday’s loss against the Colts, the Titans have now lost four straight games (and nine of their last 11). Tennessee made a quarterback change from Will Levis to Mason Rudolph, but their struggles under center continued. Rudolph completed 23 of 34 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.

If the season ended today, Tennessee would have the No. 4 selection, and the Titans still have a 7.5% chance of landing the No. 1 pick. With such a high pick, all eyes will be on Tennessee to see if they select their next quarterback of the future.

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:

The Titans found out that Mason Rudolph also isn’t a QB answer, but they should be more worried about fixing their sorry run defense in 2025.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports:

Is there one positive for the Titans this season? The offense has been miserable. The defense has had decent moments but just allowed 335 yards rushing to a one-dimensional Colts team that completed seven passes. What hope does head coach Brian Callahan have to sell in the offseason?

Diante Lee, The Ringer:

When the Titans hired Brian Callahan as head coach, he was supposed to implement an offense that could maximize efficiency in the passing game. It hasn’t happened. This is one of the league’s worst offenses on a play-by-play basis. Second-year quarterback Will Levis has regressed significantly under Callahan’s tutelage, to the point where he barely looks like he belongs on a pro roster anymore and was sent to the bench before the Week 16 game against Indianapolis. The investments made in skill-position talent haven’t made this team any more explosive, and what was a competent defense earlier this season has faltered down the stretch. I don’t know if firing Callahan after a year would serve any long-term purpose, but it’s hard to see how things will get turned around next season.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com:

The Titans held a 7-0 lead over the Colts early in the second quarter, then gave up 38 unanswered points in about 19 minutes of game time before ripping off 23 unanswered of their own to almost pull off the biggest comeback in franchise history. Got all that? Tennessee was one third-and-long stop away from getting the ball back, down eight points with just under two minutes left in the game. Instead, they got it with three seconds, which was just enough time for Mason Rudolph to throw his third pick of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the turnovers aren’t a new problem for the Titans, who have a league-high 32 entering Week 17. The fact that Tennessee stormed back on the road is a good sign that the team is still playing hard for Brian Callahan, but there’s only so much celebrating to be done by a squad that’s produced nine giveaways over their last eight quarters.