NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans returned to work on Monday, seeking to correct mistakes following the team's 33-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt began his weekly press conference with an injury update that included quarterback Jake Locker (wrist), tight end Delanie Walker (shoulder) and tight end Taylor Thompson (knee).
Locker had an MRI on his right wrist Monday morning and Whisenhunt said he wouldn't have any more information until later in the week. Whisenhunt told reporters that Locker's wrist got bent under him at some point during the contest with the soreness increasing post-game.
As for the game itself, Whisenhunt didn't leave much to question in regards to his feeling about Sunday's loss.
"We all need to understand what happened these last two weeks is not acceptable and we're looking at ways to change it," he said.
The Titans played well in spurts. They continued to run the ball well and held the Bengals to just 3-of-9 on third down. That said, it's on the players to feel the pressure to perform and execute consistently, Whisenhunt said.
"The great thing about football is that it's a team sport," Whisenhunt said. "One success depends on what other people do. What's happening with us is that when things get tough, we're having some guys take the path of least resistance. That's when you get hurt. We're looking for guys that are going to be disciplined and fight through that. The guys that do that are going to be the guys that play, so you have to create that sense of urgency."
Rookie running back Bishop Sankey had his best day as a pro, running for 60 yards on 10 carries. His shiftiness at the line of scrimmage and burst around the edge still comes with details he needs to work on.
"I'll tell you what I liked about Bishop," said Whisenhunt of his rookie. "He's got good vision and looks to have good movement skills. What I didn't like was his attention to detail. If he can get the attention to detail better, his reps will increase.
"In his footwork, there were a couple of handoffs where he's not doing it the right way and there almost was a fumble. When he gets those things correct, he'll get the opportunity to get more play time," Whisenhunt continued.
With the Texans losing on Sunday, the Titans remain just a game back of the division leaders. No one is making excuses, but everyone also recognizes that it's still very early in the season.
"There's not a sense of panic within this team," said Whisenhunt. "There's not a sense of panic with me. I've been in this situation. I was in this situation in San Diego last year where we started off 1-2 [and made the playoffs]. Are we putting our head in the sand and saying everything is ok? No, it's not. It's not status quo. We're not happy with what happened yesterday or happened last week. I believe our players got the message today that we're going to work to get that corrected."
The Titans have a prime chance to turn things around in Week 4 with their first AFC South matchup of the season, a road game against the Indianapolis Colts.
"Division games are always important and we're going against the division champs," he said. "This is a great opportunity for us to correct a lot of the things that we've done wrong, and if we can go in and get a win I'm sure we'd all feel a lot better about ourselves."
One of the hardest parts of losing for all involved is the feeling of letting fans down. Whisenhunt and the rest of the locker room urged Monday that they will continue to work tirelessly to evolve into a team that Titans faithful can be proud of.
"It's very difficult to stand up here after the last two games and say everything is ok…I said a long time ago, I'm not asking for patience," Whisenhunt continued to reiterate. "We expect to win. It tears me up. It hurts right now to sit here and talk to you after the way we played. We didn't represent ourselves very well yesterday. We didn't represent our fans very well and that hurts. All I can tell you is that we're working very hard to make sure we get better. At some point, we're going to be a good football team, that I will say."
