Titans Meltdown: Brian Callahan’s Indecision Highlights Third Straight Loss

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Pick a string, we can pull several that will help us unravel all that went wrong in Titans’ loss No. 3
 
I’ll tug first on another particularly bad Brian Callahan scenario, just before halftime, after he called five consecutive run plays that put the Titans in fourth-and-1 with 42 seconds left at the Colts’ 39-yard line during a 41-20 loss. 
  
The head coach and playcaller was looking at going for it to try to extend a drive to enhance a chance at a touchdown to cut Indianapolis’ lead to 17-13 or at least move closer to a field goal that would have closed it to 17-9 and eaten more clock.

Kenny Moore and Tony Pollard/ Angie Flatt
Kenny Mooore picks Cam Ward in front of Tony Pollard/ Angie Flatt

 

Shane Steichen did Callahan a favor and called a timeout, giving him time to ponder. And that wasn’t enough. So Callahan called his own timeout. He came out of that with his offensive personnel still on the field, and only with the play clock started after two stoppages of play did he finally choose. Field goal. Off came the offense. On came the field goal team. 

And then, a flag. Delay of game.
 
All coaches preach decisiveness. 
 
But given far more time than NFL coaches typically get to make go-or-kick decisions, Callahan needed two timeouts and part of a play clock to decide. 
 
“We went to kick it, and they were waiting for some operational things to uncover,” Callahan said. “Just would like to go faster. Obviously had no intention to take a delay of game there. Didn't want that to happen. Obviously looks really bad at the end of the day. That was not the intention to do that. So wanted to be able to kick it.
 
Once you call timeout there, don't you know what you're doing? Shouldn't you have your personnel on the field?
 
“Certainly,” he said. “We were going back-and-forth and wanted a minute to think about it. I was going back-and-forth between a fourth-down call and a field goal and decided to go take points in that particular situation. The operational part of it to kick it on time didn't happen.”
 
What's the benefit of having your offensive personnel on the field after the timeout?
 
Because I hadn't decided yet at the moment what we were going to do.
 
How could you have their timeout, your timeout, and still not have decided?
 
“Like I said, we were having a couple different conversations about it. Ultimately, that was a decision we made.”
 
Oh Lord. That’s really, really bad.

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Brian Callahan/ ASSOCIATED PRESS, George Walker IV

I believe conclusive in-house judgments of Callahan are not being made at this early stage of his second season. But with something like that, he’s digging holes that are hard to climb out of.
 
After the delay, Joey Slye’s 62-yard attempt was blocked by Grover Stewart, just minutes after a 64-yard attempt by Slye was wide right.
 
Maybe the Titans are a little over-reliant on their big-legged, big-biceped kicker?
 
In Cam Ward and in quarterbacks, Callahan has repeatedly said he seeks decision-making, timing, and accuracy.
 
In a coach, you've got to expect the first. That's a remarkably slow decision, and his inability to make it does little to instill confidence in him. No matter how many good guys the roster is loaded with, they witnessed extreme hesitation and at least a segment had to be left wondering about it.

His timing was off postgame too. Once all players are in the locker room after a game, it closes for a 10-15 minute cool-down period. Then it opens to the media and the coach speaks from the podium.

Callahan took at least 19 minutes and players like Calvin Ridley, Peter Skoronski, Arden Key and Tony Pollard -- who understandably had no interest in chatting about what had unfolded and no obligation to linger -- were gone.

How convenient.

Only a couple of defenders and Ward, who also talks at the podium, were left.
 
“He owned up to that, you know?” Cody Barton said Callahan's delay scenario. “I don’t know necessarily what the decision was. Obviously, we took the delay which we didn’t want to in that situation. He owned up to that and that’s it.
 
Doesn’t it feel like he’s owning up to a lot so far?
 
“Yeah, he is. He’s the first one accountability-wise to own up to mistakes. And I respect that. I do believe in him.”
 
Aren’t there a lot of mistakes to account for from the head coaching position in the first three weeks?
 
“Yeah, there is. But the head coach can’t win the game himself. It takes all of us, you know? When the defense is out there, there are 11 of us on the field. And the coach is making the calls. There is more than just the head coach.”
 
Also among Callahan’s issues is Ridley, the team’s top receiver, who has started his second season with the franchise much as he started his first. Last year, the blame was split, as Will Levis was also having a tough time.
 
But now Ridley is way more at issue than Cam Ward, who was the victim of three Ridley drops through the first three games, per Pro Football Reference, a number that seems low. Ridley caught a 27-yard pass at the end of the first quarter that seemed encouraging, as he tends to disappear when he’s not involved early. 

He dropped two chances to catch a ball that caromed off cornerback Kenny Moore on a third-and-10. He dropped a hard but catchable throw in the fourth. He dropped a ball that would have converted a fourth-and-4 but was washed away by a holding call against the Colts. 
 
Ward’s forgiving on such matters, talking about how he makes his own mistakes, and in this instance, pointing to a pick-6 on the third play from scrimmage, where he sent Pollard on the wrong route and then threw a bad ball. (The Titans had the ball after winning the toss and choosing not to defer but take possession, another questionable Callahan call.)

The coach talked about sticking with his No. 1 receiver.
 

“I'm not going to stop relying on him, Callahan said. “He's got to help us. He's got to do his part. We're going to keep throwing the ball to him. He's going to keep being put in position to make plays. It's the same thing when a guy doesn't perform his best; they've got to find a way to pull themselves out of it, and we've got to find a way to help him….

“If we're going to claw our way out of the spot that we're in, we're going to need everybody in there to do it. Calvin's going to be a big part of that. He's got to find a way to get his confidence back up and perform.”
 
Defensively, the Titans were the first team this season to prompt the Colts to punt. But Jonathan Taylor turned 17 carriesinto 102 yards and three scores, breaking tackles by Quandre Diggs, Kyzir White and Amani Hooker en route to a 42-yard TD. 

Missed tackles were an issue beyond that and while he went unsacked and was hit just twice, Daniel Jones was able to be quite efficient – hitting 18 of 25 passes for 228 yards with a 20-yard TD to Michael Pittman and a 113.4 passer rating. Penalties were a thing again, with the Titans drawing eight flags for 68 yards and three first downs. 

Ward’s not letting the record of the feel get to him at this stage.

“Confidence is high,” he said. “We know we have a legit football team, to make it right.

It's a hard sell.