NASHVILLE, Tenn. —The Titans stay at home for the next two games but the previous two performances led to many questions about where the team will go after consecutive losses.
Tennessee lost 38-17 at Pittsburgh on Oct. 9, had its bye on Oct. 16 and suffered a 41-7 loss to Houston Sunday (the worst defeat of the Titans in LP Field history).
"Not since I've been here do I recall a game that's been this tough," Titans fullback Ahmard Hall said. "This is probably the worst beating that I've taken since I've been here. It was embarrassing. You can't do anything but watch the film, break it down and try to come back next week and have a better showing."
Tennessee's offense mustered 148 yards, and its defense surrendered 518 yards.
Multiple Titans said Sunday that they will not be pointing fingers at teammates as Tennessee (3-3) prepares to host Indianapolis (0-7). The Colts will be coming to Tennessee on the heels of a 62-7 drubbing from the Saints in New Orleans.
At 0-2 in the AFC South, Tennessee's players and coaches know that they must defeat the Colts and make improvements for the rest of the season.
"It starts with every man looking in the mirror and getting better," Titans cornerback and defensive captain Cortland Finnegan said. "It always starts with the run game. Eleven guys got to be stopping the run. It's 11 guys on defense that didn't get the job done."
Houston had 222 yards rushing, including 115 on 25 carries by Arian Foster and 104 on 15 carries from Ben Tate.
Tennessee rushed for 53 yards on 15 carries. Chris Johnson carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards, and Javon Ringer had 31 yards on three rushes.
"We can't let this situation keep lingering and keep causing us to lose more games," Johnson said. "It's just a point where everybody has to look at themselves in the mirror and say they are not going to let the next man beat them."
Ringer said the "only thing we can do is go up." He said seventh-year receiver Nate Washington addressed the Titans' locker room after the game.
"I felt like Nate Washington gave a nice speech to everybody, making sure we all stay together as a team," Ringer said. "He usually doesn't talk much, but for me, I thought what he said was really important. We just all need to make sure we stay together as a team. We still have 10 games left."
Hall also thought the speech by Washington, who has two Super Bowl rings from his first four years with Pittsburgh, was important.
"He knows what it takes to win Super Bowls, and (Sunday) wasn't it," Hall said. "They've been asking guys to step up and who better than a guy that's been at the paramount. He can tell you how because he's been there."
