The Tennessee Titans are 0-5. In Robert Saleh's first season replacing Brian Callahan, the new head coach has achieved something the recently-fired leader didn't in either of his two seasons (the second of which was, of course, shortened) with Tennessee.
Saleh has failed to get a victory through five games. Callahan won in Week 4 in his first go-around, and then in Week 5 last season. Those starts, in part, led to him being fired just games into his second season. Saleh's first-season struggles are to some extent due to what Callahan left behind, but the former doesn't have infinite wiggle room.
That brings us to a Week 6 battle with the Indianapolis Colts. Cornered with little of note to write home about, Saleh and the Titans are trying to make history. Only three teams have started 0-4 and finished at .500 by the time things wrapped up.
One loss past that point, things are already a bit more dim for Tennessee. Tomorrow's road brawl may represent a turning point in one direction or the other for the Titans. The game may be Saleh's last chance at a fully redemptive, satisfying year-one run.
Week 6 may be Saleh, Titans' last chance in 2026
Statistically, it's easy to argue that Tennessee is already past the point of no return due to the aforementioned statistic. But in addition to the history, what we've seen from Tennessee this season suggests a team bound for a high draft pick unless they improve immediately.
Brian Daboll's offense ranks dead last in the NFL by a comfortable margin. Defensively, while Saleh has avoided the same embarrassment, FOX Sports still has his unit at 19th in the league. Averaging out in the mid-20s just isn't good enough, especially not against offenses led by playmakers like CJ Stroud and Jonathan Taylor.
I'd never outwardly vouch for tanking, but every underperforming team hits a point where conversations in the air around them begin to face toward the future. It certainly feels like Tennessee is on the edge of that shift right now.
Saleh's overly-optimistic declarations of playoff hopes can only go so far without a single victory. At 0-5 and 0-1 in the AFC South, the Titans' leash has run out. Week 6 is the end of the rope. Week 6 is the final cry, at least as far as present promise goes.
If nothing else, this extends fans' hopes - which have already been waning for years - into tomorrow's match on the road. The Colts are fighting to pull even at .500. The Titans are fighting to keep Saleh's first-year vision of a rebuild alive just six games in.
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