NASHVILLE – On Christmas Eve, the Titans walked away empty-handed.
Another close loss – this time 20-17 to the Seahawks – left the team disappointed once again.
"There are no moral victories in life, no moral victories in professional football," Coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. "I thank the staff. I thank the players. But we strive for much more than that – that's plain and simple. That's the mindset we must have to get back out of this thing."
The Titans have now lost seven games by single digits, including five losses by four points or less.
After taking a late lead, the Titans saw a win slip away as the Seahawks rallied for the win at Nissan Stadium.
When the Titans got the ball back, they couldn't rally themselves, and they dropped to 5-10 with the loss.
"It's no longer draining, because we've been doing it all year," edge rusher Arden Key said. "We just have to find a way. It's just one play. We have to find that one play to get us over the hump. We just have to be a better situational football team. … We have to do better.
"We lost. We have to find a way to be better. There's no such thing as moral victories. You either win or you lose, and we lost today."
Ryan Tannehill started at quarterback in place of an injured Will Levis, and he completed 18-of-26 passes for 152 yards, but he was sacked six times.
Running back Derrick Henry ran for 88 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw for another score.
But it wasn't enough.
The Titans took the lead 17-13 with 3:21 left on a two-yard touchdown run by Henry, which capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took 8:49 off the clock.
But the Seahawks got the ball back and scored on a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Geno Smith to tight end Colby Parkinson with 57 seconds left to reclaim the lead.
Tannehill was sacked twice when the Titans got the ball back, and a potential game-tying drive fizzled out.
"It's brutal," Tannehill said. "You keep yourself in the game, find a way to take the lead late, then they got the lead and then we didn't do enough to score. Yeah, it's draining. We had guys out there battling, fought through a lot of injuries. I'm proud of the guys and the way we battled, but we just came up a few plays short and we have to find a way to make those tough plays."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Titans took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Henry to tight end Chig Okonkwo, which capped off a six-play, 57-yard drive.
The Seahawks cut the lead to 7-3 on a 28-yard field goal by kicker Jason Myers, before a 33-yard field goal by Titans kicker Nick Folk with 3:18 left in the second quarter gave the Titans a 10-3 at the half.
The Seahawks made it 10-6 early in the third quarter on another field goal by Myers, this one from 27 yards. Titans defensive back Terrell Edmunds broke up a Smith pass intended for DK Metcalf on third down, which stopped the drive, and forced the field goal.
The Seahawks then took the lead at 13-10 on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Metcalf with 12:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Then came the final back-and-forth, and the Titans left disappointed once again.
"It's frustrating," Henry said. "We have two games left, and we have to do our best to win those. A tough one today."
The Titans return to action next Sunday against the Texans in Houston.
The Tennessee Titans take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 at Nissan Stadium
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Nate Sparks/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Nate Sparks/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The game between the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Nashville, TN. Photo By Jessie Rogers/Tennessee Titans
