Tempers Flare, Titans Falter Again in Frustrating Loss to Jaguars
After showing signs of life against Seattle, the Tennessee Titans were hoping to build momentum on their home turf. Instead, they ran headfirst into another wall - this time courtesy of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who handed Tennessee a 25-3 loss that felt even more lopsided than the scoreboard suggests.
That’s now 11 losses in the Titans’ last 12 games, and their 11th straight defeat at Nissan Stadium, a streak that stretches all the way back to last November. And while the final score tells one story, the real drama unfolded between the whistles - and sometimes well after them.
Boiling Point in Music City
Things got chippy in the second quarter when Titans edge rusher Arden Key drew a roughing the passer penalty on Trevor Lawrence. That flag set off a sideline scuffle between Key and Jaguars offensive tackle Anton Harrison. It wasn’t just a moment of frustration - it was a spark that lit a fuse.
Key, a former Jaguar himself, didn’t shy away from the tension after the game. “Jags don’t like Titans.
Titans don’t like the Jags,” he said. “I think that’s where that came from.”
He also hinted that there were “some extra things going on,” suggesting this wasn’t just your standard division rivalry heat.
The tension didn’t stop there. Jeffery Simmons got into it early after reacting to some trash talk and was flagged.
Tyjae Spears took a cleat to the body after a tackle. And then came the fourth quarter, where things really unraveled.
Special Teams Skirmish
With just over 11 minutes left and the game already out of reach, Titans special teamer Julius Chestnut collided with Jaguars punter Logan Cooke on a return. What followed was a rare and bizarre scene: a punter charging a return man.
“I don’t really know why the punter did that, honestly,” Chestnut said postgame. “I was just trying to play hard, and he came up to me and said he was gonna kill me.
I’ve never heard that one before. That was strange.
Especially from a punter.”
Chestnut and Cooke locked up, and the situation escalated quickly. Titans defenders Mike Brown and James Williams jumped in, and a full-blown scrum broke out. Brown, who had already been flagged earlier for roughing the punter, was ejected after picking up a second personal foul.
Jacksonville didn’t escape unscathed either. Cooke and long snapper Ross Matiscik were both flagged for unnecessary roughness - Matiscik for dragging Chestnut to the ground. Even rookie defensive back Kaiir Elam got hit with a personal foul, though it may have been a case of mistaken identity due to a similar jersey number.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen acknowledged the boiling emotions postgame. “We thought that maybe we were roughed or potentially roughed at one point.
I don’t know if it got called or not,” he said. “I’d like Logan to be a little smarter there.”
Offense Stalls, Again
As for the actual football? Tennessee’s offense opened the game with promise - an 11-play drive that ended in a field goal.
But that was it. That drive accounted for 70 of the Titans’ 188 total yards on the day.
The rest of the game was a grind of stalled possessions, penalties, and missed opportunities.
Cam Ward threw for just 141 yards - the fourth-lowest total of the season for the Titans. The team managed only 11 first downs and was flagged 10 times. That penalty total nearly matched their first down count, which tells you just about everything you need to know about how the offense performed.
“We gotta be able to offensively back them up and overcome those penalties,” Ward said afterward. “At the end of the day I’m gonna always support my teammates. If that’s how they feel in the moment, then we’re with them.”
Key’s Hit, Jaguars’ Response
Key’s roughing the passer penalty - the one that kicked off the second-quarter chaos - came on a hit that Jaguars players clearly didn’t appreciate. Harrison stood over Key in defense of Lawrence, and Key responded by ripping off Harrison’s helmet and shoving him before being pulled away.
The Jaguars turned the penalty into points, converting an untimed down into a 45-yard field goal from Cam Little before halftime.
Key later acknowledged that the Jaguars’ reaction may have stemmed from past hits on Lawrence, including one from Azeez Al-Shaair last season that led to a concussion and a five-game absence for the Jacksonville quarterback. “I see why they did it,” Key said.
Restrepo Injured in Tough Break
The Titans suffered another blow late in the game when rookie wide receiver Xavier Restrepo was carted off with an ankle injury following a 15-yard catch - his only reception of the day.
Restrepo had just started to find his footing after a promising NFL debut the week prior, where he caught two passes for 26 yards. On Sunday, he reached for his right ankle after the play and remained on the ground until the cart arrived. His teammates helped lift him on, and the entire Titans bench came out to show their support as he was taken off the field.
The former Miami standout was Cam Ward’s favorite target in college and signed with Tennessee as an undrafted free agent. Interim head coach Mike McCoy said Restrepo was still being evaluated postgame.
Where Do the Titans Go From Here?
This wasn’t just a loss - it was a boiling-over of frustration for a team that can’t seem to find its footing. The penalties, the scuffles, the stagnant offense - it all points to a team searching for identity and discipline in a season that’s slipping away fast.
McCoy didn’t mince words: “We can’t have those penalties. It’s unacceptable. We can’t be doing it.”
And yet, players like Ward and Key stood by their teammates, emphasizing unity even in the chaos.
There’s no doubt the Titans are playing with emotion. But until they channel that fire into execution - not ejections - the results are unlikely to change.