5 Biggest Issues Facing Tennessee Titans After 2-4 Start

The Texans may have gone 2-14 in 2013, but at 3-3 they have already surpassed that win total. The Texans may not win the Super Bowl this season, but they are clearly a superior to the Titans, and Tennessee still has two games scheduled against Houston this season. Each contest will mean Texans DE J.J. Watt will make it a long day for whichever QB is under center. Jadeveon Clowney will probably be back from injury too.

In Week 4 the Colts thumped the Titans 41-17 at home when Colts QB Andrew Luck threw for 393 yards and four TDs. The two teams will meet again in Tennessee in Week 17, but the Titans will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs before then. The Colts have the best QB and team in the AFC South, and they will win the division, leaving the Titans to try to secure a Wild Card spot, which just won’t happen.

The Titans had four sacks against the Chiefs and four against the Cowboys. In the next two games (Bengals and Colts) they had as many sacks as the fans watching -- zero. In the following game against the Browns they recorded just one sack. In Week 6 the Titans sacked Jaguars rookie QB Blake Bortles six times. It’s feast or famine. The Titans need a quality edge rusher so they can consistently put pressure on opposing QBs.

The Titans are the 7th-most penalized team in the NFL (tied with the Chicago Bears). They have been flagged 46 times for 428 yards. Penalties killed the Titans in their 29-28 loss to Cleveland in Week 5. In that game the Titans drew six personal foul flags (some were nullified by offsetting penalties), but Tennessee ended the game with seven penalties for 68 yards. They must become more disciplined if they want to be great or even just good.

Many thought Jake Locker would be the answer at QB. He’s shown flashes of what he can do, but he’s proven to be inconsistent and he’s injury-prone -- Locker is currently trying to comeback from a thumb injury. Charlie Whitehurst took over and in Week 6 the Titans barely escaped with a win against Jacksonville. Whitehurst is not the answer. It is possible this year’s sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger is, but we’ll have to wait and see.