PHILADELPHIA – Oh, brother.
In the city of brotherly love, the Philadelphia Eagles proved to be too much to handle for the Tennessee Titans.
With Rocky music blaring at kickoff, the underdog Titans fell behind early and ended up falling to the Eagles by a score of 35-10.
"I think it's always about the Titans needing to be better," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. "(The Eagles) have a good football team, but when you make mistakes, know that any margin of error against a good football team is going to come back to hurt you. … We struggled everywhere today."
Vrabel said he gave the team a reality check in the locker room after the contest.
The Titans dropped to 7-5 with their second loss in a row.
The Eagles, meanwhile, improved to 11-1.
"I think we're at a crossroads," Vrabel said. "I told the team I think we're at a crossroads on how we want to continue down the season. We can't point fingers. We have to assume that each and every one of us didn't do a good enough job because we didn't. We have to come to work with greater energy and greater resolve. … It sucks losing, and it sucks losing a game the way we did. But we have to make a decision on how much we are willing to invest and trust what the coaches are doing, what other players are doing. I think it's a critical time for us."
Making matters worse: Three Titans starters left the game with injuries, and none of them returned to the contest.
Receiver Treylon Burks (concussion), linebacker David Long Jr. (hamstring) and cornerback Kristian Fulton (groin) all left the contest in the first half, which made a tough day for the Titans even tougher at Lincoln Financial Field.
Safety Kevin Byard was among those who made no excuses.
"It's December football, and we talk about wanting to play in the postseason and making a late-season run," Byard said. "We can't lose any more games in my opinion. We have to find a way to get this thing back rolling. We don't really look like a good football team right now, and it's going to be on us as players, coaches, leaders, to figure out what is not working right now and get out of it and start playing winning football again.
"Speaking on today, we got dominated in all three phases. We got our behinds whupped, plain and simple."
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked six times in the contest on a day when Tennessee's offense struggled throughout the contest. Running back Derrick Henry managed just 30 yards on 11 carries.
At the same time, the Titans had trouble slowing down the Eagles.
The Eagles took a 7-0 lead on their opening possession on a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts to receiver DeVonta Smith.
The Titans answered back with a 10-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by a tough catch from Burks for a 25-yard touchdown, which tied the game at 7-7. Burks took a big hit in the end zone as he caught the ball – Eagles defender Marcus Epps was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play – but he managed to hold on.
After receiving medical attention on the field, Burks eventually went to the locker room and was evaluated for a concussion. Burks did not return to the contest, and it was a hint of trouble ahead.
A 40-yard touchdown from Hurts to A.J. Brown on the Philadelphia's next possession gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
After the Titans the cut the lead to 14-10 on a 36-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bullock, which capped another 10-play drive, the Eagles then stretched their lead to 21-10 on a two-yard touchdown run by Hurts with 51 seconds left in the first half.
Early in the second half, the Eagles made it 28-10 on another touchdown catch from Brown, this one from 29 yards.
A three-yard run by Eagles running back Miles Sanders then made it 35-10 with 11:27 left in the contest.
Quarterback Malik Willis replaced Tannehill in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, as both teams replaced starters with back-ups to finish the contest.
The Titans return to action next Sunday against the Jaguars at Nissan Stadium.
"It's a long season," center Ben Jones said. "We're right there in our division, and now we have to clean stuff up and get ready."
The Tennessee Titans take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Emily Starkey/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Emily Starkey/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Emily Starkey/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Emily Starkey/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Cameron Faulkner/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 04, 2022 in Philadelphia, PA. Photo By Mark Brown/Tennessee Titans
