Rapid reaction from the Tennessee Titans' 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 20 at Nissan Stadium:
Talking points
- This was a winnable game, and the Titans didn't win it. Period. You hate to toss the "moral victory" phrase around in the NFL, but after their Week 1 dud, this performance eventually became so much more encouraging from the Titans (0-2). After they’d been dominated everywhere except the scoreboard during the first half, they gradually started to settle and improve on both sides of the ball.
- The defense got more feisty and opportunistic, with Marcus Harris grabbing a huge interception with six minutes remaining and the score tied. Even the Titans’ offense, too, slowly improved after a brutal first six quarters to the season, building two second-half scoring drives to take a 20-17 lead with 1:56 to play. The defense just couldn't make it stick and find an answer for receiver DeVonta Smith. The Eagles' clutch drive produced a go-ahead TD with only nine seconds remaining.
- This was better, too, from quarterback Cam Ward, who was 13-of-20 passing for 183 yards. He remains very much a work in progress, though there were increasingly hopeful signs in the second half. The offense was more explosive than a week ago, But the Titans still punted on four of their first seven possessions. A better start to the afternoon could've made the difference in this game.
- Even in a loss, we still might look back on Amani Hooker’s 92-yard interception return as the play that changed the direction of this Titans season. It was a 14-point swing early in this game, with Hooker preventing an Eagles score on one end and setting up a Titans touchdown on the other. Despite this game’s lopsided stats at halftime, the Titans only trailed 14-10. Hooker’s pick was enormous.
- This game, as expected, inspired a Philly takeover in the seats. There were more Eagles fans at Nissan Stadium than Titans fans. The folks in green announced their presence throughout, booing the Titans during pregame introductions and chanting after Eagles scores, as is done at Lincoln Financial Field. This, obviously, wasn’t the first time an opposing fan base has invaded the Titans’ stadium. But it was one of the more glaring examples in recent memory, signifying the passion of the Eagles’ fans as well as the present indifference of local Titans fans.
- Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley missed most of the first half with a stinger he suffered on the first offensive snap of the game. After being evaluated on the sideline, he returned to the locker room and was said to be questionable to return. Former Auburn running back Tank Bigsby stepped up in his place and scored the Eagles’ first touchdown. Barkley was back in the game after halftime.
- The heat index was well over 100 degrees for most of this game. I think I speak for everyone who has attended an outdoor event in Middle Tennessee this month when I say . . . enough of this.
Where the game turned
Those two interceptions of Jalen Hurts, both deep in Titans territory, swung this game dramatically. They allowed the Titans to hang around early and have a chance to steal this game late.
Except they didn't steal it. Credit Philly's defense for holding the Titans to a field goal and allowing Philly's offense to drive 65 yards on nine plays and win the game.
Key number
40 — Number of offensive plays for the Eagles (2-0) in their first three possessions, compared to 13 for the Titans. When Philly scored to go up 14-7 with 1:49 until halftime, it also had massive advantages in total yards (210 to 40), first downs (15 to 2) and time of possession (21:50
to 6:21). That’s the fatigue gap the Titans had to work in the second half to overcome.
What I liked
Against a respected opponent that was better on paper, the Titans stepped up after (another) shaky start and showed some pride and passion, first on defense and then on offense. Perhaps this team isn’t a lost cause after all.
What I didn’t like
Scoring opportunities are still too few and far between for the offense. So when a 27-yard catch and run by Tyjae Spears moves a struggling offense into the red zone, as happened in the final minute of the first half, why not be bolder than settling for a field goal with two run plays in the next three snaps?
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: A more feisty showing, but ending for Titans was the same | Estes
