A dominant defensive performance couldn't save Tennessee from self-inflicted wounds and late-game collapses. Now sitting at 0-3, the star lineman demands his teammates stop talking and start winning.
The Tennessee Titans just can't seem to close out games.
Week 3 was another game where the Titans had a chance to win but fell short at the final moment. In Week 2, the Titans nearly beat the Philadelphia Eagles at Nissan Stadium.
The Eagles were driving late and trying to put the game out of reach with a touchdown. Then, Jalen Hurts threw an interception to Marcus Harris.
Harris' interception gave the Titans the ball back with six minutes to go.
The Titans got into the Eagles' red zone and backed themselves up with dumb penalties. The Titans had to settle for a field goal but took a 20-17 lead.
The problem was that they gave the Eagles 1:56 to go down and win the game or force overtime. Hurts threw a touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with nine seconds left to lead the Eagles 24-20 over the Titans.
It was more of the same on Sunday.
The Titans trailed for most of the game, then finally began putting together complete drives in the fourth quarter. Cam Ward threw a touchdown pass to Wan'Dale Robinson, making it 12-7.
The defense got the ball back, and Ward got the offense into scoring position once again. On 1st-and-Goal with under 30 seconds left, Ward forced a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by New York Giants safety Jevon Holland.
The Titans had two timeouts and didn't have to throw into the end zone that early in the set of downs. The inability to make the right plays in clutch moments is becoming a trend for the Titans.
As for Jeffery Simmons, he wasn't a part of the problem. The defense kept the game manageable for the offense. Simmons recorded a sack, 10 total tackles and two TFLs.
The Titans' pass rush was very active. The team had three sacks and eight TFLs as a whole. Still, the offense couldn't capitalize on the opportunities they had throughout the game.
For Simmons, he thinks that the time for talking is over. This Titans team needs to find a way to prove it on the field.
We've heard this season that the Titans are just going through growing pains with a new head coach and coaching staff, but that doesn't excuse how awful the team played. The message Simmons had after the game was "Say less, do more."
"It's kind of one of them things where you tired of hearing about going through these growing pains," Simmons said. "Hearing we fell short. You just get tired of hearing the same thing. The game of football is about winning. Somebody gotta win the game. We in a situation, we in a place where we 0-3. We need to do more. Gotta stop talking. We gotta say less, do. I know you guys have heard that before, but I'm a firm believer of that. Everyone there on the field, all 11 got to do they job. Say less, do more."
Simmons has been with this franchise long enough to remember when things were going well. The Titans had three straight playoff appearances from 2019-2021. The franchise hasn't been to the playoffs since.
There's been plenty of time for talking. Simmons embodied how Titans fans are feeling after a rough 0-3 start.
Frustration is mounting for the Titans heading into Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens.
