Tennessee Titans' best, most famous and most expensive players weren't enough vs Colts

Here's one lens through which to view the fourth quarter of the Tennessee Titans ' 20-17 loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday:

• Will Levis , the quarterback the Titans leaned into as their franchise centerpiece, was 3-for-10 passing with an interception after starting 13-for-17 with a touchdown in the first three quarters.
• Calvin Ridley , the standout receiver the team brought in as its splash signing in free agency, had zero catches on five late-game targets.
• L'Jarius Sneed, the cornerback acquired by trade in March who defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson recently described as the best at his position in the NFL, got beat for the go-ahead touchdown pass on the same drive he was flagged for a 33-yard pass interference penalty.
• Lloyd Cushenberry III, the burgeoning star center the Titans added in free agency to steady a struggling offensive line, got stood up and blown backward into his running back on a key third-and-1 to derail the offensive progress and force a punt.

Players like those are the ones who were supposed to fix what has been ailing the Titans this season. Sunday, they were part of the problem.

"I think just across the board, we just need all of us to play at a higher level," Levis said after the game. "I think at all position groups, we can step up and say and admit things we could have done better."

ESTES | The Titans' latest issue? Penalties. A lot of them.

The first handful of Titans losses were easy enough to rationalize. The young quarterback made some young-quarterback mistakes, though the turnover margin was inexcusable. The returning fixtures from a previously bad offensive line hadn't improved. It wasn't good, yet it wasn't inconceivable.

But now the Titans are 1-4 after blowing an early (and late) lead, squandering an in-their-lap opportunity to take over second place in the AFC South standings and bury the Colts at 0-3 in division play. This time, those understandable mistakes weren't the problem. They didn't lose because of a boneheaded turnover or an untimely sack. They lost because they didn't play football particularly well at the end of the game when they most desperately needed to.

"We’re frustrated, obviously," safety Quandre Diggs told The Tennessean. "But what do you expect? We’ve got a locker room full of cats that are alphas and cats that expect to win."

Ridley voiced his frustration, publicly calling for more targets early in games so he can be better late. Levis says now isn't a time to point fingers. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons says now's the time to "put the fire out" because "nobody's trying to save us." Sneed says the team is still better than its record, and he's better than his performance.

Sneed flashed his uncanny ability to speak in positively toned riddles after games. When asked what he needs to do to play his best more often, he said he doesn't want to play his best because he'll always think he has more to prove. When asked what it'll take for him to be near his best more consistently, he said he can intercept three passes in a game and still think he's not near his best. When asked what he can do to play up to his own standard more often, he said he's on God's timing and knows His light will shine on him soon.

But the fact remains that Sneed has surrendered game-changing catches late in pivotal moments of two losses — not exactly validating the Titans' expectations of him.

"I think L'Jarius is really a good football player and I'm glad we have him," Titans coach Brian Callahan said. "There was one jump ball and it was one down the sideline that got called for PI (pass interference). But I'm glad we have him. He's a really good football player."

Sneed obviously wasn't the only player to blame. The Titans' star veterans, first-round picks and offseason acquisitions accounted for 83 yards worth of penalties resulting in four Colts first downs and a Titans punt. In a game decided by three points where the Titans led in the fourth quarter, facts like those can be the difference — even if playing aggressively and walking up to the line of making mistakes as Sneed likes to do is baked into the Titans' identity.

"We knew what we got when we got all our DBs," Diggs said. "You feel me? We knew Sneed was going to be aggressive. We knew Jarvis (Brownlee Jr.) was going to be aggressive. Chido (Awuzie), aggressive. Myself, aggressive. Jamal (Adams), aggressive. That’s what it is. You live with it sometimes and you die with it. But at the end of the day we’re going to get it fixed."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans' best, most famous and most expensive players weren't enough vs Colts