NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons sat at his locker still in full uniform in disbelief almost 40 minutes after watching the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate Darius Cooper’s game-winning, 3-yard touchdown reception with nine seconds left on the clock. These types of tough losses can send a team spiraling, especially a team like the Titans, who’s 25.9-year-old average age is tied with the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots for the fifth-youngest roster in the league. Titans coach Robert Saleh isn’t a believer in moral victories, but he refuses to allow the 24-20 loss to the Eagles alter his approach.
“You can’t let the result affect your process,” Saleh said. “There is no good job in losing. You’re either winning or you’re losing. But you can’t let that deter you from the process at which you attack it because that’s the only chance you have to win a football game, having a great process.”
The Titans could have a 1-1 record, but they’re 0-2 because they didn’t finish on either side of the ball down the stretch.
Tennessee had a 73.7% win probability when Tyjae Spears’ 27-yard run gave the Titans the first down while facing third-and-22. The Titans got the ball to Philadelphia’s 9-yard line but had to settle for Joey Slye’s 33-yard field goal to take a 20-17 lead with 1:56 left in the game. Tennessee’s defense was unable to protect the lead, allowing Jalen Hurts to march the Eagles 65 yards to the end zone thanks to Cooper’s catch.“It’s frustrating, for sure,” Titans quarterback Cam Ward said. “We want to end every drive with a touchdown. That’s our goal each and every time that we step on the field is to get a touchdown. And for us not to be able to help the defense in that situation, we take that upon ourselves”The Titans hadn’t won a game since last December. They were humiliated by Saleh’s former team, the New York Jets in the season opener. Now the Titans have to figure out a way to flush the bad feelings after having a win snatched from their grasp.Second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor is taking a trust the process approach to get ready for the next game, which will be on the road against the New York Giants on Sunday. Ayomanor’s faith is in the hard work he put in during the offseason and what he’s going to do leading up to the game. That hard work has made Ayomanor a player Saleh referenced when asked how the Titans can weather the storm of a two-game losing streak to start the season.
Saleh said that everyone would be sick once they sat down and watched the film from the loss. The film showed exactly what Saleh thought he’d see, a failure to execute in multiple phases late in the game. But there were also plenty of shortcomings throughout the day. The Eagles were able to convert a ridiculous 11 of their 18 third-down opportunities. That caused the Titans to once again lose the time of possession battle, with Philadelphia holding the ball for over 36 minutes. It was a close game, but in the end, the Titans suffered another heartbreaking loss.
Saleh said they’ll learn to win games like this, and the experience last Sunday will help that. In the meantime, the players must continue preparing this week regardless of their record.
“Just because you have a good process doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’re going to have a good outcome,” veteran defensive lineman Jacob Martin said. “But you’re putting yourself in the best position to have a good outcome. And obviously, sometimes things don’t go your way, but that doesn’t mean you go back and change your process because the outcome wasn’t good.”
