NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A few thoughts on the Tennessee Titans' 29-28 loss to the Cleveland Browns at LP Field.
What it means: The Titans have to explain an utter disaster. Tennessee took a 28-3 second-quarter lead and managed to turn it into a loss with conservative play after that. They didn’t try to build the lead and kept giving the Browns hope and life. Now Tennessee is 1-4 with four consecutive losses. It is a line I’ve used with this franchise before, but this sort of game leaves an ugly scar that takes a long time to heal.
Out again: Jake Locker survived a nasty forearm to the head from linebacker Chris Kirksey as he slid in the end zone at the end of a second-quarter 11-yard touchdown run. Not long after that, the Titans quarterback hurt his hand in contact with cornerback Buster Skrine and yielded to Charlie Whitehurst. Locker quickly went to the locker room, then came out for the second half in a long-sleeve T-shirt with his right hand and thumb heavily wrapped. The Titans also lost tight end Craig Stevens early to a thigh injury, which meant the team used tackle Taylor Lewan a good deal as a blocking tight end. Outside linebacker Derrick Morgan was tossed from the game in the fourth quarter after a personal foul penalty.
Lost chances: The Titans had two takeaways undone by penalties. Marqueston Huff recovered a muffed punt but was called for going out of bounds and not attempting to get back in quickly enough. Jason McCourty had a pick and long return undone by an illegal-contact call against fellow cornerback Brandon Harris.
Big question: The Titans didn’t work hard enough to continue to score in the second half, then managed the clock poorly late in the fourth quarter as they tried to hold on by not calling time-consuming runs. In need of a yard on a fourth-and-1 from the Titans' 42 and 3:09 left in the game, Ken Whisenhunt chose to go for it. Whitehurst was stopped short, it was upheld with a challenge and the Browns drove the short field for the go-ahead touchdown.
Game ball: A week after Kendall Wright lost a fumble but declared the struggling wide receivers would still be a foundation of the team, he followed through. He had two receiving touchdowns to go with a pretty 38-yard gain on a jet sweep in just the first half.
What’s next: The Titans host the Jacksonville Jaguars at LP Field on Sunday. Tennessee provided the Jaguars with their first win last season in Week 10.
