NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brian Callahan has seen winless starts finish with winning records in the NFL, so the first-year Tennessee coach has reminded his Titans that the season is long enough to rewarded those who fix mistakes quickly.
They better respond to avoid the franchise's worst start to a season since losing the first six in 2009.
Callahan helped Cincinnati earn winning records each of the past two seasons after dropping the first two games. Houston won the AFC South last season, bouncing back from an 0-2 start. The Titans see their stingy defense and early leads as proof they easily could be undefeated. Untimely mistakes, including second-year quarterback Will Levis turning the ball over too much, are why they are winless with Green Bay visiting Sunday.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football," Titans safety Amani Hooker said of Callahan's message. "So we’re able to understand what it’s going to take to win.”
What the Titans don't know is whether they'll face Jordan Love or recent teammate Malik Willis at quarterback. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, who spent the 2018 season as Tennessee's offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel, said Love's status will be decided Sunday when the Packers (1-1) have to hand in their list of inactive players.
The Packers ran their way to a 16-10 win over Indianapolis to ease Willis into his first start with a team he joined at the end of August. Love is testing a brace to protect his injured left medial collateral ligament injured in the Packers' opening loss. He said the brace affects his mobility, which is a huge part of his game.
“You’d love to be able to just sit in the pocket and be a pocket-passer, but it’s just not realistic," Love said. “There’s things that happen in the pocket where you’ve got to get out of there, avoid pressure, and sometimes you’ve got to move the sticks with your legs.”
The Titans have lost their first two games by the exact 24-17 score, the most recent to the Jets. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said it doesn't matter who Green Bay starts at quarterback with Tennessee preparing to face both Love and Willis.
“We just have to prepare to win,” Simmons said.
The Packers lead the NFL with 21 “explosive plays” of a run of at least 12 yards or a pass of 16 yards or more. That won't be as easy against the Titans, who have allowed a league-low 413 total yards and an average of 114 yards passing. The Titans aren't as easy to prepare for with new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson with only two games on tape.
“He’s an experienced guy in this league, and then when you couple that with really good players, you have a chance to be a really good defense," LaFleur said. "And they do all the little things the right way, in terms of the effort and physicality that they play with.”
Green Bay leads the league in averaging 212 yards rushing after using that run-heavy approach last week for 261 yards on the ground.
The Packers have several Tennessee ties in addition to Willis and LaFleur. Green Bay claimed rookie kicker Brayden Narveson off waivers from the Titans after he went 6 of 7 in the preseason with a long field goal of 59 yards. Narveson is 6 of 8 for the Packers, though he has missed a kick in each of the first two games.
As for Willis, he has no hard feelings toward the Titans, who traded him once deciding Mason Rudolph would back up Levis. Willis started three games as a rookie for the Titans after they traded up in the third round to draft him out of Liberty in 2022.
“They took a shot on me,” Willis said.
Josh Jacobs has 48 carries to tie San Francisco’s Jordan Mason for the NFL lead. Jacobs had 32 of those against the Colts, just one off his career high. But he is the only Packer with more than nine rushes so far even as Green Bay has mixed in rushing attempts by wide receivers Jayden Reed and Bo Melton.
The Packers have AJ Dillon and rookie MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve, which has forced them to rely more on Jacobs. Dillon is out for the entire season with a neck issue, while Lloyd will miss at least Green Bay’s next four games with an ankle injury.
The Packers have five interceptions and six total takeaways this season to lead the NFL in both categories. The Titans have committed five turnovers already to match the Denver Broncos for the most of any NFL team — all by Levis, which the Packers have noticed.
“We just hope he gives us some more this week,” Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon said.
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