Can the Titans bounce back from an objectively awful opener to have a competitive game against an upper-echelon opponent like the Philadelphia Eagles? Here are some keys to the Titans getting their first regular-season win of the 2026 campaign.
First down
Fix the run defense. The Titans allowed the lowly Jets to run for 152 yards in the season opener, and while Breece Hall is a nice back, he’s not Saquon Barkley. Robert Saleh is big on rotating his defensive linemen to keep them fresh, but the drop-off when Jeffery Simmons wasn’t on the field in the opener was highly noticeable vs. the Jets.
Second down
Try some explosive plays. The Titans were dull and deflated on offense in the season opener. The task doesn’t get easier this week when the Philadelphia Eagles come to town. The Eagles defense is the real deal, and a blowout loss is not out of the question if the Titans don’t find some way to put points on the board. That means somehow finding explosive plays from an offense that doesn’t have many playmakers at its disposal.
Third down
Win special teams. Sunday’s opener was a rarity in which Bones Fassel’s unit struggled. Chimere Dike lost a fumble on a kickoff and had minus-5 yards on punt returns, fielding one and running when he should have called for a fair catch. Joey Slye had the opening kickoff go out of bounds and the Jets capitalized on it. Those sorts of mistakes can’t happen for a team that has a small margin for error already.
Fourth down
Find something good. It was just Robert Saleh’s first game as head coach, but there weren’t a lot of positives in any aspect of the game. Coming off an effort like that, the Titans need something – anything – to go right against the Eagles. The roster is a combination of newly arrived veterans and rookies, plus holdovers who haven’t done a lot of winning since being in Nashville. Both the newcomers and the holdovers are going to need reasons to buy in and believe that the situation can improve.