INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Titans lost 27-17 to the Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Here's a look at six things that stood out from the contest:
Call Overturned Proved to Be a Killer
The biggest play of the game was an overturned call that took what was initially ruled a Titans touchdown off the scoreboard. It happened in the closing seconds of the first half, when Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons hit Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert just as he was throwing the football. The ball was knocked out of Herbert's right hand, and it went forward, where Titans cornerback Roger McCreary picked it up and returned it for an apparent touchdown. Officials, in fact, ruled it a touchdown on the field, making it 13-13, pending the PAT. "I felt like it was a fumble," McCreary said. "Everybody was excited. We thought it was a touchdown." But after replay, the call was overturned, and it was ruled an incomplete pass. "White hat said he ruled it a fumble," Simmons said, "but New York overturned it." Heading into halftime, Titans Coach Brian Callahan let officials hear about it on the way off the field. "I'll let you guys decide what you think the call should've been," Callahan told reporters after the game. "I don't want to lose any money." This much is certain: It was a costly, momentum-killing call against the Titans.
Levis Under Pressure
Titans quarterback Will Levis returned to action after missing the past three games with a right shoulder injury. Levis had some good moments, throwing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. But Levis was sacked seven times in the game, including five times in the second half. "In the second half, personally for me, there were a couple of situations where I could have gotten the ball out earlier and helped the line with pressure," Levis said. "I have to continue to learn in that area. It's on everybody. I have to help those guys how I can getting the ball out, and they have to give me time, and I have to learn when there is not time and get the ball out."
Long Return ... Again
Another draining play in the game came on special teams. After the Titans cut the lead to 13-10 in the third quarter, the team allowed a 56-yard kickoff return by the Chargers that put the ball at the Tennessee 43-yard line. Six plays later, the Chargers cashed the good field position in for a touchdown to make it 20-10. "We have to cover better," Callahan said. "Kickoff coverage, you have to beat your man and cover the ball. We didn't do a good enough job of that on that particular return. … We can't give up the one huge play on special teams a game. We have to find a way to get that shut down." The Titans didn't make it much of a game after that, as the Chargers drove the field on their next possession to pretty much put the game away.
No Pressure on Herbert
While the Chargers were busy harassing Levis, the Titans didn't have much success making Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert uncomfortable. The Titans didn't sack Herbert once (because the Simmons sack/fumble was overturned), and the team was credited with just two quarterback hits the entire game – one from Simmons, and another from edge Arden Key.
Too Many Penalties
The Titans were penalized nine times for 68 yards in the contest. Offensive lineman Leroy Watson had three penalties for 25 yards during one bad stretch, when he was whistled for a pair of false starts, and a 15-yard facemask when the team was driving. It took what should have been a chip shot field goal for Nick Folk into a 49-yarder, and Folk misfired on the long kick. It was a deflating sequence.
Calvin Ridley's Touchdowns
Titans receiver Calvin Ridley caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Levis in the first quarter, as he got behind a Chargers defender to give the team a 7-3 lead. Late in the game, Ridley caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Levis with 49 seconds remaining. Ridley caught five passes for 84 yards in the contest, with the two touchdowns. Aside from Ridley's 41-yard reception, however, the Titans didn't have another play longer than 20 yards.
