Week eleven passed by like a ship in the night and with it came the same ol’ Two Tone Blue-heartbreak that’s been dragging us down all damn season. I could vent until I’m Two Tone Blue in the face, but why waste good oxygen? Instead, let’s dive into this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The WTFugly—or for the cool kids, #GBWTF.
THE GOOD
BACK TO BACK BILLY JEANS
Don’t look now, but Billy Jeans might actually be turning a corner. Or at least, for the sake of me backing this guy all season, his mayo-loving ass better be—otherwise, he owes me those sunglasses back. After two solid performances against two of the NFL’s top defenses, people are whispering, "Is Will Levis the quarterback of the future for the Titans?" Well, that’s still TBD. But one thing’s for sure: If he keeps stacking these mistake-free games, he’s starting next season.
In the last two weeks, he’s piled up 475 yards and three touchdowns. And let’s not forget, if the Zebras hadn’t robbed Ridley of that 51-yard TD, he’d be sitting pretty with over 525 yards, four TDs, and just one pick (which, by the way, came when we were desperate and pushing late).
Call me crazy, but I’m buying stock in Billy Jeans—and you should too.
THE BALLAD NICK TOUCHDOWN-IKHINE
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: NWI scored another touchdown. I’ve lost count at this point. Has to be his 35th this season, bare minimum. Ok, fine—I checked. It’s actually his fifth. But for us Titans fans, five touchdowns feels like infinity.
Let’s talk numbers: 117 yards, one TD on… checks notes… two catches?! A 98-yard bomb from Billy Jeans? I knew I was drunk last week, but how in the Holy Hell did I miss that? Oh right—I was too busy filming Austin Huff sprinting around the rooftop at Assembly, chanting, “You can’t spell NWI without WIN!”
Good times, man. Good times.
RIDLEY ME THIS, BATMAN
Calvin Ridley is on an absolute tear lately, and this past Sunday was no different. He SHOULD have had 109 yards and another touchdown, if not for the sorry sacks of snicklefritz they call officials. Seriously, you’re going to call back a game-changing momentum play because of a penalty that turned out not to even be a penalty? Come on. I know, I know, we can wish in one hand and you know the rest.
But let’s not get hung up on the refs—because over the past four weeks, Ridley has practically been averaging 100 yards a game, and that’s a damn breath of fresh air. Now, if we could just get those touchdowns up, everything would be gravy, baby.
BIG JEFF WANTS A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Jeffery Simmons is starving—and no, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving leftovers. This man is craving respect, revenge, and above all, destruction. It’s clear he’s on a mission to prove he's not just a dominant force in the AFC South, but across the entire chaotic landscape of the NFL.
The media loves to spotlight the glitzy, winning teams and flashy franchises, leaving small-market studs like Big Jeff overlooked. But ignore him at your own peril. In the past four weeks, he’s racked up two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Doesn’t sound like a guy who's checked out of a disappointing season, does it?
Call me crazy, but that’s the kind of relentless drive that says, “I’m still here.” Let’s hope Baby Thanos keeps this streak going and ends 2024 with some vicious vengeance.
THE BAD
THE ZEBRAS ESCAPED THE ZOO
Two weeks in a row, two ten-point losses, and both have been marred by some of the biggest head-scratching calls we've seen this season. From the "Forward Pass" by Justin Herbert to the "Illegal Formation" that wiped off Billy Jeans’ beautiful 51-yard touchdown strike to Ridley, it's been a rough couple of weeks.
Add in the fourth down stop that was suddenly ruled not a fourth down stop, giving the Minnesota Queens not only a fresh set of downs but literally a free touchdown, and you’ve got a perfect storm of frustration. Momentum shifted faster than a Titans fan’s blood pressure, and let me tell you, it’s tough enough to win in the NFL. But when you’ve got to beat both your opponent AND the refs? It's damn near impossible.
PENALITY PARLAY
13 penalties. 13 freakin' penalties. 13 &@#$! penalties. You have got to be kidding me. Look, as I’ve mentioned before, most of those calls were straight-up garbage from refs who seem to forget their whistles when the game actually matters, but at the end of the day, we can’t keep using that as an excuse.
Even though I'll die on the hill that the refs cost us back-to-back wins, Coach Cally has got to clean this mess up. Our special teams is hot garbage, our QB situation is a revolving door, and the last thing we need is to keep shooting ourselves in the foot over and over and over again. This mess needs addressing now, or Project 9-8 is going to be nothing but a distant memory, and I don’t think any of us want that.
RUSHING WITHOUT REASON
Look… I know the Vikings have one of the top rushing defenses in the NFL, but 33 total yards on 19 attempts between three different Titans is not just pathetic, it's damn near laughable. We averaged 1.7 yards per carry this past Sunday. 1.7. If I need to spell it out for you, it looks something like this... "One. Point. Seven."
Anybody who's ever played a damn video game will tell you, if you can’t even hit 3.5 yards per carry in today’s NFL, you WILL NOT win a football game. So let's figure this issue out ASAP, right after we tackle the persistent penalty problem that's killing our perennial performance. How's that for alliteration, you nerds?
WHERE IS L'JARIUS SNEED?
This past offseason, Ran Carthon was cooking. Signing studs, flipping draft picks—the future was looking brighter than a Nashville summer. When we landed L'Jarius Sneed, the crown jewel of free agency, for what felt like pocket change, the entire AFC South (and maybe the whole NFL) got the message: The Titans were back. Or so we thought.
Now, after weeks of head-scratching over his mysterious "quad" injury, we finally have our answer: Sneed’s heading to IR, sidelined for at least the next four games. With only eight games left and our playoff chances hovering at a whopping 0.5%, it’s looking more and more like we won’t see him in a Titans uniform again this season—or maybe ever.
I hope I'm wrong. I really, really do. But if this ends up being just a three-game rental from the Chiefs, all I can say is… well, F*CK!!!
THE WTFUGLY??!!
Sam Darnold Avoiding the Titans Pass Rush
THE LACK OF SACKS IS KILLING US
One of the biggest letdowns this season isn’t our record, the questionable play-calling, or even the wild roller coaster ride of inconsistency. Nope. It's the heart-wrenching silence of not hearing Mike Keith's iconic “SACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!” roar as often as we’d like.
Last week, we watched Sam Darnold—yes, Sam Darnold—slip away from at least five sacks like he’s Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix. No disrespect to Harold “Honor” Landry, but after kicking off 2024 with a bang, he’s ghosted us. He leads the team with… four sacks.
So, who else is picking up the slack? Buckle up: Between Arden Key, Jeffery Simmons, Kenneth Murray, and Sebastian Joseph-Day, we’ve got a combined nine more. Yeah, nine. Total. Not exactly the numbers you want when special teams are practically handing opponents a 50-yard head start, and our red zone defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed.
It’s time to find that fire, or this season’s going to feel longer than a commercial break during a Titans loss.
Titans fans if we lose again to the Not Houston Oilers.
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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