Week 12 delivered everything Titans fans could hope for—and more. They watched Texans fans turning on their own players, Texans players jawing back at their fans, and the entire Houston team falling apart at home to hand the Titans a victory in H-Town. This marked Brian Callahan and Billy Jean’s first AFC South division win.
There was plenty of good, a little bad, and some head-scratching moments, so let’s dive right into this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The WTFugly—or as the cool kids say, #GBWTF.
THE GOOD
BRIAN CALLAHAN AFC SOUTH REVIVAL
Being a rookie head coach in the NFL isn’t easy. Sometimes you hit the ground running, but more often than not, you face tough lessons along the way. That wasn’t the case this past Sunday, as Titans head coach Brian Callahan secured his first official AFC South victory—and against none other than the reigning division champs, the Not Houston Oilers.
What made the win even sweeter? Shocking their team, fans, and even their loud-mouthed owner, Hannah McNair, in their own house. They thought a blowout was inevitable, but the Titans had other plans. The boys in two-tone blue fought through some serious hurdles, including a touchdown allowed within the first 14 seconds (thanks, Special Teams), a red zone fumble, and a pick-six thrown by Billy Jeans himself. But as we all know, it’s not about how you start—it’s how you finish. And damn, did the Titans finish strong.
Somewhere, Bud Adams is smiling.
NICK TOUCHDOWN-IKHINE WON'T GO AWAY
There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and NWI touchdowns. At this point, it’s almost a given that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is going to find the end zone with the ball in his hands. The chemistry between Billy Jeans and NWI has become clockwork, and the Titans' front office better be drafting up that lifetime contract to keep this man in two-tone blue forever.
You heard me a few weeks ago, Miss Amy... BUILD THAT STATUE.
NWI is currently tied for fourth in the league with six touchdown receptions—more than guys like Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, and DJ Moore, just to name a few. It’s time to give this man his flowers.
WILL LEVIS HAS ARRIVED... HOPEFULLY
After three stellar performances against top-ten defenses, everyone’s asking: IS BILLY JEANS BACK? (Shoutout to Korked Bats!) I’ll admit, like most of us, I thought it was curtains when he locked eyes with his receiver like it was a jar of mayo and served up that brutal pick-six. But in a moment that could only be described as Divine Intervention, Will stepped right back onto the field and, on the very next play, launched a strike to Chig. One sharp 90-degree cut and an 80-yard sprint to the house later, the Titans had the lead—and they never looked back.
In the month of November, no AFC South QB shined brighter, and he outperformed every QB from his draft class. You know what that means? The era of stupid ass memes has officially come to an end... hopefully.
TONY "COLLARD GREENS" POLLARD
This offseason, many of us were crying into our beers as we watched our beloved King head north to join those Ratbirds. The pain was real. Then, the Titans signed former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, and while expectations were high, no one truly believed he could fill Derrick Henry’s shoes the way he has.
Fast forward to Week 12, and Pollard ranks 7th in the league in rushing. By all accounts, he’s been a top-5 back all season. With 800 rushing yards and an impressive 4.3 yards per carry, he's been a bright spot for a team that’s faced plenty of struggles. Even more exciting? He’s already at 978 combined yards—and there are still six games to go.
It's time to lock him up long-term. With Brian Callahan building a modern offense the likes of which Titans fans haven’t seen in years, Pollard is a cornerstone we can't afford to lose.
FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS
Between Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, and Kenneth Murray, this summer’s free-agent moves have been more than just serviceable—the results are showing on the field. While wins have been tough to come by, many losses can be pinned on special teams blunders and rookie mistakes from our young QB. Yes, I know he’s technically not a rookie, but the Texans game marked just his 17th career start.
It's refreshing to see Ran Carthon’s additions really panning out (yes, that’s a cooking pun). It’s great to have impact players on both sides of the ball showing up in the box score. No receiver has been hotter than Ridley over the past five weeks. Pollard was the driving force behind Sunday’s win, and Murray? Nothing short of spectacular—he sealed the deal.
In the past, free agency felt like a strikeout fest. But this year? We’re hitting home runs, and we’re not even at full strength yet. Don’t let this team get healthy and hot—trust me, the rest of the AFC South doesn’t want that smoke.
THE BAD
SPECIAL TEAMS BACK ON THAT TWO-TONE BLUESHIT
When your special teams give up an 80-yard return on the opening kickoff—on what should’ve been a routine tackle they’ve made since pee-wee football—followed by a touchdown strike just 14 seconds into the game, you’d usually expect a blowout. Thankfully, for Colt Anderson’s sake, the rest of the team decided to show up and play.
Look, I’ve been saying this man needs to be fired like yesterday. But at this point in the season, it’s too late for that kind of shakeup. Miss Amy isn’t going to fire any of her coaches around the holidays; she’s got too big of a heart and cares too much about people to make a move like that.
But rest assured, come next season, I guarantee Anderson won’t be holding onto that headset. He’ll be working at McDonald’s—and no, I’m not talking about a spot on the Dolphins’ staff.
BAD BILLY JEANS
Oh, you thought I was going to let that two-turnover performance slide? Think again. I’m just as excited as anyone to see Will turning the corner, but let’s be real—that ugly pick-six, right after the costly red-zone fumble, almost sent us spiraling backward.
Credit where it’s due: bouncing back to launch that tuddie to Chig was impressive. But let’s not kid ourselves—if Chig hadn’t hit the turbo button on his controller for that 80-yard sprint, Titans fans across the country (and beyond the pond) would be sharpening their pitchforks, calling for Will’s benching, and praying for Mason Rudolph to guide our two-tone sleigh the rest of the season.
The margin for error is razor-thin. We can't afford more mistakes from Will. And we definitely can’t afford more memes.
ALL THREE PHASES OF THE BALL
This past Sunday, the offense was clicking, and the defense was sticking—but the special teams? Still sputtering. Usually, we’re lucky if just one phase of the game shows up, so hitting 30 points for the second time this season while the defense held strong was a sight for sore eyes. Shutting down C.J. Stroud (a.k.a. Josh Freeman 2.0) and forcing him out of the end zone for that game-sealing safety? A thing of beauty—Orlovsky-style.
Now, imagine if special teams could actually get their heads out of their asses for once. If they could just show up while the offense and defense are punching the clock, this team would be unstoppable. What a beautiful thing that would be. An idiot can only dream, right?
THE WTFUGLY??!!
Will Levis 1.2 seconds after the ball is snapped
THE SACKS HAVE TO CEASE
Eight sacks. EIGHT. Count 'em—EIGHT. That’s the same number of legs on a spider, and just one less than a cat’s nine lives. Our offensive line served that up last week. Sure, some of those were on Will Levis for holding onto the ball too long or stepping right into the pass rush (seriously, what’s up with that?), but let’s be honest—the guy doesn’t have much time to work with back there.
But when he does have time? You’ve seen the magic. Billy Jeans was dealing this past Sunday, starting 11-for-11 with 180 yards and a touchdown. He picked apart the defense behind an O-line that has more holes than a certain wall in France. (If you don’t get that joke, you’re probably in your 20s.)
Give this man some protection, and the sky’s the limit.
Titans fans if we drop the ball in Washington
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TI is the brains behind both the "Titans Idiot Nation" and "Sports Idiot Nation" as well as an avid sports fanatic and pop culture enthusiast who is unhealthily obsessed with football, especially the NFL. When he's not yelling at his TV, he enjoys running, spending time with his family, and of course, yelling at his TV some more while tolerating the Tennessee Titans.
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