NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The result was the same, and for a good share of observers that is all that will matter.
The Tennessee Titans don’t deserve any sort of parade for what they did in Monday night's 27-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But for the first time in a long time, they looked like a team that was having fun -- and that’s typically a necessary ingredient for better results. They certainly were more fun to watch, and that should count for something.
Ultimately, a young, struggling team found a way to blow an 11-point lead and lose again. Still, it felt different to me. Tennessee played with more life and presented one significant reason for hope.
After throwing a pick-six on his first pass of the game, quarterback Zach Mettenberger rebounded and threw for 263 yards, a record for a rookie in a "Monday Night Football" game. With 15 completions on 24 attempts and two touchdowns, he posted a passer rating of 110.2 and a QBR of 81.2.
“The ability to respond to negative plays really kind of shows a guy’s character,” Mettenberger said. “I think I responded well, made some plays to put us in the game. But you’ve got to make one or two more to get the win.”
Overall, the Titans (2-8) could point to good developments in a loss and not have it sound as if they were applying positive-colored paint to something in need of a cover-up.
A team that constantly had been bogged down by penalties was flagged only once. A team lacking sufficient edge pass rush swarmed and surrounded Ben Roethlisberger, sacking him five times. A team in search of big plays got an end zone interception from Jason McCourty and an 80-yard Mettenberger-to-Nate Washington touchdown connection. A team that has been on the wrong end of numerous blowouts helped provide a compelling prime-time game, something rare this season.
In the end, those things didn’t offset an equally long list of negatives:
An inability to stop Le'Veon Bell, who carried that ball 33 times for 204 yards, the most by a running back in the NFL this season.
The resulting time of possession deficit -- 39:49 to 20:11.
The third-down struggles of the defense, which allowed seven conversions in 13 chances.
Four offensive possessions that collectively produced just one first down.
A run game that managed only 3.3 yards a carry and 49 yards total.
“Maybe this is the process to become a better team,” McCourty said. “You hate to say it, but we’re getting better. We’re doing some things better than we’ve done in the past, but we’re not finishing.
“I don’t know if it’s a growth process and we need to go though these pains to get to that point, but we’ve got to keep going. No one is going to feel sorry for us on the rest of the schedule because we haven’t won. We’ve got to continue to work. Just to show up and play well doesn’t mean enough.”
Guys were ready to celebrate a breakthrough game and feel the collective sense of relief that said, “We can find a way to win.”
They had to hit the pause button on that. It’s a baby-step franchise right now, and the team played well longer than had been the case in other games. Eventually, perhaps the Titans will sustain the good effort and productive play long enough to find that third win.
On this night, I didn’t judge it a bad thing that guys allowed themselves to talk of having had more fun or that they were discussing growth. It wasn’t acceptance of the loss, it was acknowledgement from a team still low on the ladder that perhaps it moved up a rung.
“It was a lot more fun tonight,” Washington said. “We were able to make some plays, guys were a lot more enthusiastic about what was going on. ... With a younger team like this, the coaches want to see the progress. Although we didn’t get the win, to see these guys play better, have a little more fun, I think that was definitely beneficial for us.”
