The Tennessee Titans’ defense was putrid once again in Week 8 and was the leading cause of their second straight loss that came at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tennessee’s defense allowed 31 points to the Bengals, and its league-worst third-down struggles continued, as Cincinnati was 10-of-15 in such situations.
The team’s decision to not name a defensive coordinator prior to the start of the season after Dean Pees retired during the offseason was a hot topic of discussion, and that has not changed.
Following the game, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel refused to blame the team’s defensive struggles on not hiring a defensive coordinator.
"I'm positive that's not a factor." — Mike Vrabel on defensive coordinator situation not being root cause of #Titans' defensive woes.
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 1, 2020
Vrabel did mention the team’s inability to make stops and get off the field, as well as the lack of a pass rush as reasons why the Titans struggled once again.
Vrabel: I am disappointed we lost. There's a lot that goes into losing, and our lack of pass rush and not being able to get off the field on third down among the reasons@Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 1, 2020
Barring the Titans making a trade at the deadline on Tuesday, the only real shot in the arm this team can look forward to is the return of No. 1 cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson, who has yet to play in a game this season.
However, expecting Jackson tosolve all of the Titans’ defensive issues might be expecting too much, as this unit’s issues extend far beyond just one player.
