Enjoy your time in the sun, Titans fans. Robert Saleh has finally found a way to lead this Tennessee team to a win six weeks into his first season. You deserve to celebrate, and what a way for this team to snag their first victory of the campaign.
After trailing 13-0 at the half, the Titans broke their five-quarter scoring drought by slowly chipping away at the Indianapolis Colts' defense. On the other side of the ball, Saleh's defense logged six sacks, two picks, and a fumble recovery on their way to a 26-20 victory.
It was the defense that did the trick for Tennessee today, pushing the team to their first AFC South win since before last season. However, could this victorious performance signal a mid-season resurgence for the Titans?
Coach Saleh said himself that he feels like if the Titans can just win one, the team can build momentum. They just got the win. We're not talking playoffs, but there is a path to this Titans team turning this around from this point forward and surpassing their three-win total from 2024 and 2025.
That path goes through Saleh's defense, and Saleh's defense alone.
The Titans must ground their identity in Robert Saleh's defense
Tennessee came out on top in Indy today, but Cam Ward and the offense still failed to inspire. Joey Slye's four made field goals covered up Ward passing 11/22 for 102 yards. The QB's fourth-quarter touchdown to Carnell Tate was huge, but the defense won this game.
A blocked punt-turned-touchdown from the special teams unit certainly helped, too. After allowing 26 points to the Houston Texans last week, fans couldn't have asked for a better response from Saleh's group today. In that response is the Titans' long-lost identity.
No matter what comes of Cam Ward's stalling development, this defense has what it takes to win football games. The Titans have to lean into that moving forward, and Saleh should continue to turn up the heat on opposing offenses. More on the needed aggression here.
Unsurprisingly, Ward and Brian Daboll's offense did their best today with a lead, a short field, or both. Playmakers like Tate (whose score was a career-first today) make it easier to plug some of the gaps when the offense has to produce, but a winning Titans team will see a defense making things easier on everyone else.
The Titans still don't look like a postseason team, obviously. However, what we saw today is enough to open the door for a few more wins than some fans may have expected prior to kickoff today. Collect three, four, or even five more by the time the season ends, and go from there.
In the words of Robert Saleh: "...anything is achievable."
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