The Tennessee Titans continue to struggle during the 2025 season. The Titans lost a close game against the Houston Texans, 16-13, that was filled with mistakes and blunders. They are 1-9 headed into Week 12, boasting the worst record in the NFL. Tennessee needs to clean up its errors if it wants to start winning games this season.
Titans' interim head coach did not mince words when talking about the team's penalty problems.
“Unacceptable to have five false starts in a game, have to clean it up,” McCoy said on Monday, per Titans reporter Jim Wyatt.
The Titans had nine total penalties for 62 yards against the Texans.
Aside from the penalty yardage itself (which is bad enough), pre-snap penalties like false starts are often drive killers. They are the definition of a self-inflicted wound for a football team.
Tennessee's offense was already struggling without these penalties, which makes the situation even worse.
Thankfully, pre-snap penalties are, in theory, easy to overcome with practice.
Jeffery Simmons blasted Titans O-line after sloppy loss to Texans
Titans veteran Jeffery Simmons has had enough of the penalties.
Simmons blasted Tennessee's o-line after Sunday's loss because of pre-snap penalties and other errors that make Cam Ward's job harder.
“Can't have that many false starts,” Simmons said. “We need to be better. We can't keep saying the same thing, trying to sugarcoat it. For the media, for anybody. I've said it in the locker room, I've said it on the field. I'm tired of sugarcoating it. We need to be better. At the end of the day, we need to protect Cam [Ward] better. It's simple.”
All Simmons wants is some complementary football.
“At the end of the day, it's about complementary football. We have to play better team football,” Simmons continued. “Sometimes the offense will be playing good, sometimes the defense. But at the end of the day, how can we play good as a team [in all] three phases?… We had freakin' four false starts Friday. We playing at home, we shouldn't have that many false starts. Don't care. I'm tired of [hiding] feelings. I'm tired of losing.”
Perhaps the Titans can turn things around in Week 12 against the Seahawks.
