The Tennessee Titans are still searching for their first win, and Week 4 brought the same old ending: a 24-18 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that dropped them to 0-4.
It started the way too many Titans games have started this season - with the offense giving the ball away on its opening drive. From there, Tennessee never fully escaped the self-inflicted damage. A red-zone series that went nowhere killed one of the few chances to build real momentum, while Baltimore’s offense kept slicing up Robert Saleh’s defense in chunks.
That leaves the Titans heading into a Week 5 matchup with the division-rival Houston Texans, and while there weren’t many bright spots, there were a few.
Calvin Ridley was not one of them. His sideline chuckles may not be helping his case, and his place in the offense keeps slipping.
Ridley finished with just one catch for 13 yards on two targets, as second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor continues to eat into his touches. What started the season as a snap-heavy role has already shrunk fast, and Ridley’s influence in the passing game looks close to gone.
The biggest positive on offense belonged to Carnell Tate, even though his fumble late in the first half wiped out a chance to keep the Titans rolling. That mistake mattered.
Still, the rookie was easily Tennessee’s most productive pass-catcher, hauling in 9 receptions for 145 yards and creating multiple big plays over the middle. The turnover hurt, but it doesn’t change the fact that Tate was the one offensive player who consistently gave the Titans something.
If there was one place the Titans really let this game slip, it was on the sideline. Daboll drew heavy blame for the offense’s flat showing, and his goal-line play-calling in the first half stood out as especially rough.
Tennessee leaned on the same looks over and over, and the result was another stale day on offense. The Titans ran the ball with Tony Pollard, who had a solid outing and scored, but Daboll is handling the 29-year-old like a true bellcow.
The bigger problem was that even with chances to spark things in the second half, the offense never found one.
On the defensive side, Jermaine Johnson was the one name that earned a spot among the winners. The veteran trade acquisition, whom Saleh previously coached in New York, had been solid without making a major splash up to now.
Against Baltimore, that changed a bit. Johnson picked up a sack, finished with four tackles, and added two tackles for loss in a more encouraging performance on the edge.
The Titans are still a winless team, and this game won’t change that. But Johnson’s day offered a small sign of life, and Tate’s production gave Tennessee something to build on. Right now, those are about the only things the Titans can take with them.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Lineup Problem They Can't Afford In Baltimore
The Titans head into their Week 4 trip to Baltimore with more uncertainty than they probably wanted this early in the season, as injuries have put parts of the lineup in flux. Tyjae Spears and Garrett Dellinger are among the players listed as questionable, and Robert Saleh has already acknowledged that availability is still very much up in the air as the week moves on.
For a Tennessee team trying to stabilize its rotation and settle on the best mix up front, the timing is not ideal. Baltimore has a way of exposing any soft spots, so the Titans may have to adjust their starting group if the injury report breaks the wrong way, and the last thing they can afford is another last-minute scramble before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Walk Into Baltimore Facing A Derrick Henry Problem Again
Baltimore brings the old problem right back onto Tennessees schedule, with Derrick Henry set to face the Titans after moving on from the franchise following the 2023 season. Since joining the Ravens, Henry has been piling up the kind of rushing production that once made him the centerpiece of the Titans offense, and now Tennessee has to deal with him from the other sideline.
For Robert Salehs group, the challenge is familiar even if the uniform is different: find a way to slow a runner who still forces defenses to commit extra attention while Tennessee keeps pushing forward with Cam Wards development. The Titans task gets tougher up front, too, with two injured offensive linemen now on injured reserve, leaving less margin for error in a matchup already shaped by one of the leagues most familiar headaches. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Keep Finding Painful New Ways To Waste Their Chances
The Titans are already in a familiar and uncomfortable place after four weeks, and the latest loss to Baltimore only added to the growing list of small failures that have turned into big problems. Tennessee had chances to keep itself in the game, but the afternoon kept tilting the wrong way, from special teams mistakes to a late interception that undercut any hope of a rally. Former Titan Derrick Henry also found the end zone, another painful reminder that even the good moments have a way of slipping out of reach.
What makes the slide harder to watch is how many different phases have taken turns letting Tennessee down. The offense faded badly in the second half, while Brian Dabolls decisions were part of the broader conversation around how the game unraveled. Even Carnell Tate, who turned in a notable performance, was part of the story in a way the Titans could not afford after a costly fumble, and the result left them still searching for their first win. [Read more 🡒]