The Tennessee Titans returned to Nissan Stadium and played one of their worst games in years, and for a team that has won only six games over two-plus seasons, that says a lot. The Houston Texans dominated the Titans and humiliated them in front of their home crowd.
Nothing went right for Tennessee except a stout first-half defense that kept the game within reach at halftime, even though the offense was invisible for most of the contest.
The Titans’ offense could get nothing going and, between penalties and turnovers, looked worse than some of the top-ranked high school units across the country. They lack an identity, and their playmakers also can’t make plays. It was bad, and there are no signs it will improve.
Here are five things we learned
from the humiliating loss to the Texans.
Brian Daboll continues to underwhelm
Daboll’s offense looks terrible and cannot sustain any semblance of an offensive attack. Whether it’s Cam Ward’s footwork or accuracy issues, turnovers, penalties, or just predictable play calling, the unit cannot get out of its own way and puts the defense in bad positions.
Tennessee had one drive, and even that stalled once they became predictable, and that was the first one of the game. If the Titans want to win, the offense needs to improve.
Dan Moore is not the answer at left tackle
The Titans signed Moore to a massive $82 million contract in 2025, and he has lived up to that number in no way. Moore has been a disaster at left tackle, and his performance against the stout Texans’ front on Sunday might have been his worst performance since coming to Nashville.
The Titans need more offense, but they'll be challenged as long as Moore stays at left tackle. He's consistently overmatched, a penalty machine, and needs to be replaced if Tennessee wants to succeed. Much like Daboll, hopefully, his days are numbered.
Is the secondary cursed?
Already playing without Amani Hooker, who missed the game with a concussion, Tennessee lost starters Kevin Winston Jr. and Cor’Dale Flott to injury during the contest. This continues a trend from the past few seasons: the secondary cannot stay healthy and together, no matter the combination of players or the scheme.
How many running backs does a team need?
The Titans used a gameday elevation on Kalel Mullings on Sunday, giving them a whopping six running backs to choose from against the Texans. Eventually, they made Michael Carter and Nick Singleton inactive, but it begs the question: what is happening in the backfield? Worse, the rushing attack fell flat. Yes, Tony Pollard was solid, and Tyjae Spears set a career-high with nine receptions, but none of the backs made an impact. In fact, the most memorable back play was Mullings converting a third-and-short, giving the struggling offense a first down.
Someone needs to make a play
The Titans need some kind of spark and a splash play. Whether that comes on offense or defense, it really doesn’t matter. If Tennessee wants to turn things around, something needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon. Neither side of the ball is exciting right now, and no one has shown the ability to step up and make a momentum-changing play in 2026. Yes, they have had some chances this year, but this was another game where one game-changing play could have made a difference. Houston made them, and Tennessee once again didn’t.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: What we learned from Tennessee Titans' 26-3 loss to Houston Texans
