Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan was far from pleased with his team’s performance on Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
The final team stats reveal a stark contrast: the Titans recorded more first downs (23-17), nearly doubled the Lions’ total yards of offense (416-225), had four times as many passing yards (258-61) and dominated time of possession (36 minutes to 24 minutes).
However, the only stat that truly matters is the final score: the Lions defeated the Titans 52-14. A major factor in this defeat was the Titans’ inability to protect the football, which the Lions exploited fully.
“This is how you get beaten by a really good football team at their place. You turn the ball over four times, take it away once, and give up an unbelievable amount of return yardage —both kickoff and punt,” Callahan said after the game. “We put our defense in short-field situations, and they scored touchdowns on all five possessions down there. We allowed too many explosive plays and had too many penalties in the first half.
“The positives are that they only had one touchdown when they started in their own territory, but they started way too often in ours. Our defense played well enough, but the short fields didn’t yield any stops, and we found ways to let them score touchdowns. Other than the turnovers, I thought our offense moved the ball well, especially in the first half, against a good defense.”
At one point, the score was tied 14-14 in the first half, with Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley having a standout day against the Lions secondary. By the end of the first quarter, he had six catches for 118 yards.
After the Titans tied the game with 14:22 left in the second quarter, the Lions scored 38 unanswered points.
In the second quarter, Lions quarterback Jared Goff connected on touchdown passes to Brock Wright and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Then the Lions executed a trick play, with running back David Montgomery tossing a tight spiral to Sam LaPorta for a score. In the third quarter, Lions receiver Kalif Raymond returned a kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown. Roughly seven minutes later, Raymond caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Goff, marking his third score in two weeks.
“We thought we had a good rhythm going and a chance to keep the game tight; we were playing good football,” Callahan said. “But that’s how the game gets away from you against a good team. You give up a punt return touchdown, allow a long kickoff return, and give the defense a short field.
“At some point, we’re going to stop doing that and play a competitive football game. But until then, this is what it looks like when you turn it over and don’t force any turnovers in return. It’s just not good enough anywhere. Again, you play a good team on the road that’s built to capitalize on mistakes, and they did. And that’s where we’re at.”
Callahan didn’t believe there was anything Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn schemed to frustrate his team; he felt the Titans’ issues were largely self-inflicted, particularly the turnovers — two interceptions and two lost fumbles, leading to just 14 points.
“(It’s) incredibly frustrating,” Callahan said. “We started strong but didn’t have much to show for it.”
