Turron DavenportSep 21, 2025, 06:39 PM ET
- Turron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN since 2018. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show "Talking with TD."
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The frustration is building for Tennessee Titans fans after another disappointing loss -- a 41-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts -- put the team's record at 0-3.
Fans began to chant, "Fire Callahan," as coach Brian Callahan and his team went into the locker room down 20-6 at halftime. It was impossible for Callahan not to hear the chants accompanied by boos as he approached the tunnel. But Callahan said he's not fazed by it.
"I don't really worry about that to be honest," Callahan said after the game. "My focus is on trying to make sure our football team is in as good a place as possible and the rest of that stuff is what it is. I don't think about those things, and you really can't. I mean this is hard enough as it is to put those other things and think about that. It doesn't do anybody any good. So, I just go to work and work as hard as I can. I put as much effort as I can into this and that is what it is."
Callahan, in his second season as the Titans' coach, has a 3-17 record.
Callahan's offense was facing a fourth-and-1 at the Colts' 39-yard line with 46 seconds left in the first half. Indianapolis called a timeout to stop the clock so they could attempt to add to their lead before halftime. Callahan was unsure if he wanted to go for it or kick a field goal so he called a timeout when play resumed.
The indecisiveness led to a delay of game penalty that cost Tennessee five yards, stretching Titans kicker Joey Slye's field goal attempt from 57 yards to 62. Slye missed the kick, and the Colts took over at the Titans' 38-yard line. Indianapolis drove 30 yards in 37 seconds to set up Spencer Shrader's 36-yard field goal to complete the six-point swing.
"I hadn't decided yet at the moment what we're going to do," Callahan said. "We were going back and forth and wanted a minute to think about it. I was going back and forth between the fourth down call and the field goal and decided to go take points in that particular situation, and the operational part of it to kick it on time didn't happen."
The Titans have fired a head coach or general manager in three consecutive seasons. Callahan is in danger of being the fourth if he doesn't get things turned around quickly. The Titans have three consecutive away games starting with the Houston Texans next week, followed by West Coast trips to face the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who was fired after the 2022 season, will lead the New England Patriots to Nashville the next time Tennessee is at home.
The Titans have now been outscored 94-51 through three games. Titans quarterback Cam Ward has lobbied for stability, defending Callahan and said he wants to play for his current coach for years to come. Ward shares Callahan's unbothered approach to the crowd reaction.
"I'm not really too worried about that," Ward said about the boos. "We ain't do that enough to win the game today. If I was them, I'd be mad too. I'm trying to win football games the same as them. So if that's what they're going to do, we've got to lock in as a group in the locker room and continue to motivate each other, push each other, and try to get a win."
