Robert Saleh Tired of Saying Same Things After Close Titans Losses

Here we are, once again. 

The Tennessee Titans have lost another close game this season. The trend continues for this team after coming up short. 

With the 43-36 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, the Titans are now 1-5 in close games under Robert Saleh. 

They've lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Bengals by one score or less. The one win came against the Indianapolis Colts, who are getting worse by the week. 

If it feels like Saleh is just saying the same thing every week, that's because he is. The head coach acknowledged that he had mentioned how much fight his team has after these close losses. 

At the post-game press conference, he noted how tired he was of saying the same things over and over again after these losses. 

"I feel like I stand up here and say the same thing every week," Saleh said. "We played our tails off, but last five minutes we've gotta figure it out. End-of-game situation, we gotta win. It's the sixth time this year." 

The team was definitely feeling extra motivated in the wake of the Jeffery Simmons trade. The Titans came out firing in the first quarter. 

Tony Pollard had another first-quarter touchdown run. He went 41 yards to the house to give the Titans an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. 

Joey Slye hit a field goal to make it 13-0. Then, just like last week, the Titans blew the lead again in the second quarter. 

The Bengals scored two touchdowns to take a 14-13 lead into halftime. The defense got a stop after the Bengals started out with the ball in the second half. 

It didn't matter, however. The Titans fumbled the ball back to the Bengals just two plays later. Joe Burrow then threw a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins on the next play.  

To the Titans' credit, they kept battling. Tennessee tied the game with a touchdown run from Pollard and a two-point conversion run from Cam Ward. 

The Bengals defense got a safety to retake the lead, 23-21, just before the fourth quarter. Each team scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. 

Still, it was all tied up at 36.

In the overtime period, the Bengals scored first with a five-play drive that ended with another touchdown pass to Higgins. 

The Titans had a chance to score and keep the game going, but had a three-and-out, as they fell 43-36. 

What hurt the most about the loss was that the Titans won the turnover battle and put pressure on Burrow throughout the game. Amani Hooker had three interceptions, and Kevin Winston Jr. recovered a fumble. 

For reference, it was the most takeaways the Titans had in a game since September of 2025. The Titans last forced four turnovers in the 2025 season opener against the Denver Broncos. 

The Titans could not close out a close game again. We've been saying if a lot this season. 

This team has been so close to winning these kinds of games. At the end of the day, the Titans could have a winning record if they had been more clinical in these moments. 

The frustration with this team has reached a new level, especially since Saleh himself is acknowledging how repetitive he is at these press conferences.