The Titans’ offense has finally shown some signs of life over the past couple of games, scoring over 20 points in each contest thanks to Cam Ward’s combined four touchdown passes.

But it’s still a unit that operates in maddening fits and starts, at times marching down the field for scores and at other times failing to gain any traction whatsoever.

One of the biggest issues still plaguing the Titans’ offense?

The dreaded three-and-out series, the possessions that go nowhere fast, failing to gain even a single first down.

It’s one thing not to score on a series, after all, but another to fail to change a team’s field position or to give a winded defense any sort of break with a first down or two.

“It’s critical [not to have three-and outs] … any time during the game, especially when you’re playing against an explosive offense that’s so efficient as San Francisco that you want to keep them off the field and not have the three-and-outs,” Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said Monday. “It’s critical that we do a better job with that.”

McCoy was referencing last Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, when the Titans went three-and-out on three of the team’s nine possessions, gaining a collective three net yards on nine offensive plays.

The first three-and-out series eliminated any potential immediate momentum for the Titans, while the second and third — the team’s first two possessions of the second half — meant Tennessee was unable to dent deficits of 24-10 and 31-10 before it was too late.

One week earlier, the Titans managed to win despite another three series of three-and-outs, a trio of possessions — again including the first two of the second half — that produced a combined 10 net yards and zero first downs.

“It’s critical, whether it’s the start of the game or the start of the second half, that’s something we just talked about as a staff, is we got to do a better job,” McCoy said.

“You want to get off to a fast start in the game, go down and get points, and same thing as you come out in the second half, change the momentum of the game.”

Moving the sticks just once during a drive has been a problem all season for the Titans, who have posted a series conversion rate of just 62.8 percent, which ranks 31st in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams lead the league in that category at 80 percent, while the Titans are one of just seven teams below 70 percent.

Series conversion rates measure how often an offense turns one set of downs into either a new set of downs or a score.

The Titans’ failure to move the sticks at least once — let alone on multiple occasions — is reflected in various stats: Tennessee is producing just 1.33 points per possession (31st in the league), gaining 23.5 yards per possession (30th) and taking only 2:40 off the clock per possession (27th).

The result not only negatively impacts the Titans’ side of the scoreboard, but aids opponents as well.

How much, for instance, would a Titans defense — which was struggling to get any stops at all against the 49ers last week — have appreciated a few longer drives by Tennessee’s offense, taking a little more time off the clock and tilting the field position in favor of the visitors?

Instead, San Francisco began seven of eight possessions on its 30-yard-line or better.

That contributed to the 49ers’ ridiculous 37:05 to 22:05 edge in time of possession.

“It’s big [to avoid three-and-outs],” Titans running back Tony Pollard said. “It’s all big in the part of playing situational football and playing complementary off each other, and going out there and giving the guys a break, and being able to get some drives, get some momentum going. Every possession you get in the league is big.”

Too many of the Titans’ possessions, however, are still ending all too quickly.