The Titans beat themselves in Chicago on just three key plays: a blocked punt, an interception, and a lost fumble.
That's an infuriating way to lose a ball game. But you know what's even more frustrating than that? Becoming the first team in 22 years to do it all again the very next week.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, on Sunday the Titans became the first team to allow a blocked punt, throw an interception and lose a fumble since the Chargers did so in Weeks 5-6, 2002.
For the Chargers part, they managed to go 1-1 in those two games. They first hit this unholy trifecta in Week 5 at the Broncos, where their turnovers killed them in a 9-26 thumping. Then despite turning the ball over five (5!) times against the Chiefs in Week 6, they somehow overcame their errors to win a 35-34 nailbiter.
And though those Chargers were so careless with the ball two weeks in a row, they were sitting pretty headed into their Week 7 bye at 5-1.
Now, they did a lot of losing down the stretch to finish 8-8 and miss the postseason. But the point is that their looseness with the ball in consecutive games didn't really hurt their season. In the case of the Titans 22 years later, their mistakes are directly threatening to put them too far behind the eight ball to recover.
In Week 1, there is no disputing that these three turnovers cost them the game. They led directly to 17 Bears points in a game that the Titans lost by 7 and held their opposing offense to zero touchdowns. If not for those three plays, the Titans would be 1-1 right now. They should have won that game.
In Week 2, the consequences were slightly less dire. They could have won this game. And their unholy trifecta directly led to a 6 point swing (Jets FG on the blocked punt, Titans inability to kick a FG on the lost fumble). And in a game that they lost by 7 with a scoring opportunity in the redzone to end the game, those 6 points are the different between trying to force the TD for a tie, and kicking a sweat-free walk-off FG to win the game.
Sure, It's less simple than in Week 1. These turnovers happened much earlier in the game, and the domino effect of decisions made by both teams should thing have transpired differently are impossible to know. But as HC Brian Callahan said in his postgame interview: it cost them points in a game where they needed them.
What's most infuriating is the "so close!" nature of both losses. To commit three different back-breaking mistakes, in a winnable game, in consecutive weeks... you can bet that's something that'll keep Titans coaches, players and fans awake at night.
There's plenty of positives to draw from the Titans first two games, but right now these blunders are making it hard to focus on them for many.
This week will be all about finding a way to keep these mistakes from becoming a trend. In Week 3, let's just hope they don't manage to bowl a turkey.
