By TERESA M. WALKER – AP Professional Football Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jerod Mayo and Brian Callahan face the challenges that first-year NFL coaches usually face.

Balancing the need to win now with the patience needed when developing young quarterbacks. It’s not easy, and Mayo brings his New England Patriots to Music City on Sunday to face Callahan’s Titans, both at the bottom of the NFL standings.

This leads fans to either see a tank job in progress or loudly clamor for more losses for a better draft pick next April. It’s not a coach’s top priority as the calendar heads toward November.

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan speaks to the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

“Our job is to put the best product on the field every week, play as hard as we can, do everything we can to win a game,” Callahan said. “And I will always take that position.”

His Titans (1-6) matched the franchise’s worst start since 2015, costing Ken Whisenhunt his job in his second season. Tennessee was beaten 52-14 in Detroit, and the Titans return home desperate to get their first win in Nashville after an 0-3 start.

Tennessee is one of only two teams in the NFL to have just one win with Carolina. Mayo and his Patriots (2-5) are not far behind thanks to their 25-22 victory against the Jets last week. Fans forget that jobs are on the line regardless of the record, especially with so much of the season remaining.

“There’s too much risk involved and too much risk for anyone to do anything other than everything they can to win a game,” Callahan said.

QB mix

Patriots rookie Drake Maye cleared concussion protocol Saturday and his questionable status for this game was removed. He was limited in practice all week.

They saw encouraging signs from Jacoby Brissett who went 1-4 starting the first five games before being replaced by Maye. The first-round pick left last week’s game after a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Brissett came off the bench and led New England to two field goals in the fourth quarter to end a six-game skid.

“I feel very comfortable putting Jacoby in there because he is a professional and always stays ready as you saw in the last game,” Mayo said. “Having a veteran quarterback like Jacoby makes us feel comfortable.”

The Titans have started veteran backup Mason Rudolph the past two games with second-year quarterback Will Levis recovering from a sprained AC joint to his right, throwing the shoulder in hopes of a return Sunday. Their only victory came at Miami after Levis was injured and Rudolph finished on September 30. On Saturday, the Titans promoted Trevor Siemian from the practice squad as their third quarterback, indicating that Rudolph will likely make his third straight start.

It doesn’t matter who starts. These teams are last in the NFL in fewest passing yards.

Improved protection

The results haven’t shown where it matters most, but the Titans are protecting the best player at quarterback. After allowing 15 sacks in the first three games, they have allowed just five in the last four games, which is tied with Arizona for the fewest allowed during that span in the NFL.

Despite rotating through right tackles, the Titans have allowed just one sack in two games and didn’t even allow one in another. That’s an average of 1.3 sacks allowed, which ranks fourth in the league over the last five weeks.

Good feedback

As the offense struggles to move the ball, a punt returner such as Marcus Jones can be even more valuable to the Patriots. He had a 62-yard return against the Jets to set up a touchdown. It was his second career punt return of 60+ yards, to go along with an 84-yard touchdown run in 2022.

The Patriots defensive back is second in the NFL and first in the AFC with an average of 13.1 yards per punt return.

“Even though he’s a defensive player, he’s one of the most explosive players in the league when he has the ball in his hands,” Mayo said. “Even if you look back throughout the season, there were times where he was very close to making one. … I can’t wait to continue like this.

Special teams have been a big priority for the Titans after being gashed for 190 yards on punt returns alone, including a 90-yard touchdown run.

Protect the ball

Turnovers were the Titans’ biggest problem, aside from struggling to score in the second half. Only the Raiders (17) had more than Tennessee’s 16 after four more last week. Center Lloyd Cushenberry said it was a big topic of conversation.

“We took them out, man, we’ll be in a better position,” Cushenberry said. “We moved the ball. Run the ball well. The protection has even improved. These are just reversals. This is killing us.
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AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen contributed to this report.
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