The Tennessee Titans (1-8) finished off the first half of their season by falling to the Los Angeles Chargers (6-3), 27-20, in Week 9 action.

While the result was disappointing, the team did take another small step forward in the loss. Unfortunately, even with that step, many areas still need to be addressed after seeing a return of dropped passes, untimely self-inflicted penalties, and porous offensive line play.

Tennessee got a massive boost from its undermanned defense and its special teams units, who staked the Titans to an early lead with two scores: a Cody Barton pick-6 and a Chimere Dike punt return touchdown. But between giving up too many big plays to Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and the Titans’ offense failing to sustain drives, the team eventually wore down. It allowed the Chargers to pull away in the fourth quarter.

The Titans will now inch toward what could be an active trade deadline and the start of their bye week. Tennessee will next take to the field at Nissan Stadium in Week 11 when they face the Houston Texans in AFC South action.

Before we move on to Week 11, here’s a quick report card from Sunday’s action.

Offense

Many of the issues that plagued the unit early in the season came back to life on Sunday, with too many drops, a myriad of self-inflicted penalties, and too many mistakes on critical downs. Those miscues kept the Titans behind the chains, and the offense was dismal on third down, preventing them from sustaining drives or complementing the defense and special teams. 

Grade: D

Defense

The injury-riddled defense held its own and took advantage of the battered Chargers’ offensive line to keep things close, but it had no answer for Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ dynamic receiving corps. Tennessee allowed Herbert to connect on way too many momentum-changing big plays with both his arm and his legs, which always led to points. It was a valiant effort, and players such as Jihad Ward, Dre’Mont Jones, Cedric Gray, and Sebastian Joseph-Day did their best, but it wasn’t enough. 

Grade: B-

Special teams

The special teams bounced back with one of their best efforts of the season. Not only were the coverage units stout and the kicking game solid, but the return game was explosive, and they finally broke one. Rookie wideout Chimere Dike finally got into the endzone on a return, and the unit gave the Titans momentum all afternoon. 

Grade: A

Coaching

The Titans showed some improvement during the game, which is a step in the right direction. But they still came up short and raised questions about play-calling after unsuccessfully employing the “Wildcat” formation on multiple failed plays when the regular offensive scheme could have given the team a better chance in those situations. 

Now, with the bye week on the horizon, interim head coach Mike McCoy and his coaches can take a breath and take a deeper look at the roster to make some changes heading into the final stretch. They’re doing it on the heels of one of the Titans’ most complete games of the season. 

Grade: C