Former Titans strength has turned into the team's biggest weakness

It was just a few months ago that the Tennessee Titans prided themselves on the moniker of "nobody runs on the Titans." 

Tennessee's run defense was stout.  Interior defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat and linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr. and Ernest Jones IV made the Titans' defense formidable. They could fill rush lanes and make opposing offenses play off-schedule. 

But with Jones now traded to the Seattle Seahawks and Murray banged up, "nobody runs on the Titans" now sounds laughable. The Indianapolis Colts totaled 335 rushing yards on Sunday afternoon. It was the biggest reason for a 38-30 loss on Sunday that dropped Tennessee to 3-12 on the season. 

Titans head coach Brian Callahan called it a "super disappointing performance" after the game. That's not the first time Callahan has said something to that tune in a postgame press conference. 

"Not at all what we've shown over the course of the year," said Callahan in regards to the Titans' poor run defense. "We didn't get off blocks, didn't win the line of scrimmage, and didn't tackle in space. Then the speed of Jonathan Taylor showed up."

One of the most concerning things for me looking at the Titans moving forward is the lack of any real strengths. For a while, I think Titans fans believed that a new offensive line and quarterback would solve the team's issues and put them back in contention. But as the 2024 season had unfolded, we've started to see new cracks form.

It has really become evident just how far away Tennessee is from competing. They need edge rushers. They need a better run defense. They need safety help. They need better offensive line play. They need weapons for whoever the quarterback is in 2025, which is still the biggest question of them all.

At this point, the Titans are 3-12, and there's nothing they do well. They are below average in nearly every team statistic and at nearly every position on the field. That should be a major red flag considering all the money they spent in the offseason to patch up these holes. 

Run defense was once a strength. But it has now turned into another one of those things the Titans will need to fix...and that's a bad sign for what's to come.