By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No run game, no passing game and poor tackling are not things that usually combine for the Titans, even in a loss.

But those and many more negatives piled up for them Sunday in Cleveland.

The Titans’ offense was about as poor as I have seen under a Mike Vrabel-coached team. The Titans have had issues over the past few years with personnel and not being able to match up with some of the better teams, but they usually don’t lose with coaching. In this one, they got outcoached and could not figure out a formula on offense or defense to stop the Browns.

CLEVELAND – When the Titans lose, especially decisively, Mike Vrabel leans on a standard line.

It’s an obvious and true element of a quick evaluation that carries a hint of the coach Vrabel played the majority of his 14-year career for, Bill Belichick. His team, he says, has to coach better and has to play better.

Sunday, shortly after a hard-to-watch 27-3 loss at Cleveland Browns Stadium, he hit it again.

“In every phase, you can start it with me and go all the way down,” he said. “Whether it’s coaching. Whether it’s our pass rush, their pass rush, their O-line, their ability to hit some plays down the field, penalties, every category. It’s going to be the same thing for each one. It’s important for us to stick together. You play like that in this league, you coach like that in this league, you get your ass beat, plain and simple. It’s disappointing. But it’s what happens when you perform and you coach like that.”

I asked if that common theme continues to resonate with his players and coaches.

CLEVELAND -- So for the second time in three weeks the Titans played in a game that's got to be on a list for the most unwatchable matchups of the NFL season.

The suspect offense showed every concern and the defense was really bad too. All of it added up to an absolutely miserable 27-7 loss here at Cleveland Browns Stadium to the Browns, a team that just lost one if its best players to a bad injury six days before.

Now the Titans will look to put Mike Vrabel's "coach-better, play-better" mantra to work as they attempt to get back to .500 Sunday in Nashville against the Bengals, who host the Rams Monday night and have owned the Titans recently.

This loss left you feeling understandably pained and we had a good, and seemingly cathartic, conversation about it with venting and gnashing of teeth. If you missed it, it's worth watching so head to the private Facebook page or below and let it wash over you.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- I am excited to bring you this Titans' mailbag before kicking off my weekend, which commences with a relatively early flight Saturday to Cleveland, the city in which h I was born and for which I have a great fondness.

While I enjoy the road, wherever you are you need to be sure you check out this week's episode of the podcast. Here are links on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube.

Please like and subscribe which is of great help.

Onto the best questions that came my way...

David Jackson Do you really think our roster is bottom 10 in the league like so many national writers allege? Obviously, we don’t have depth, but can’t our starting 22 be competitive with most teams?

Read More...

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –  For the third week in a row the Titans will benefit from their opponent not having their best running back available. 

The Saints were without Alvin Kamara and the Chargers didn’t have Austin Ekeler. 

The Browns’ best offensive player, Nick Chubb, went out with a major knee injury on Monday night and is lost for the season.    

Without him on the field Sunday, the Titans' defense will turn first to dealing first with a talented but declining Deshaun Watson. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Yes, the Browns just lost their best offensive player in Nick Chubb.

Still, a trip to Cleveland looks scary as Jim Schwartz's defense has really made things difficult for the Bengals and Steeles in its first two games. The Titans' defense could be in a position where it needs to match the host's effort on that side of the ball in a low-scoring affair. 

Saying that, of course, guarantees the game will blow up the second-lowest over/under of the weekend (39.5).

We hashed through what's on your mind about this team at this time. You seem to have mixed feelings about the Titans coming off the nice overtime result against the Chargers --  some feeling good about a second win in a row and some more reluctant to buy in and be confident about their ability to head up to Lake Erie and find a way to win a second consecutive victory after eight losses in a row.

We also talked about the Hall of Fame and running backs.

Please rewatch at the private Facebook page or the secret YouTube channel below. And if you're not a member, join up to see this one and be part of the next one, Sunday from the press box in Cleveland.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- First-down runs are down 13 percent for the Titans through two games, which means -- you guessed it -- first-down passes are up 13 percent!

There are other things that are not totally in kilter. But Tennessee's highly predictable run at the start of a new set of downs is down and that's a big development, and that's where we start this week's edition of the podcast.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube, which is below.

Other subjects I dive into:

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

The results haven’t been revolutionary for the Titans' new offense under Tim Kelly through two games. The team ranks 20^th in scoring offense at 21 points per game, 21^st in terms of yardage, and 22^nd in offensive expected points added (EPA) per play. Those marks are all up from the dysfunctional 2022 offense, but not radically different.

It is fair to point out that Kelly’s numbers are probably being dragged down by the worst performance of Ryan Tannehill’s tenure as the starter in Tennessee, which is currently half of the sample size that we must work with as of today.  

However, more important than any of the numbers right now is the fact that the process has been markedly different