Titans Coach Fires Back After Patriots WR Calls Defense 'Lazy'
Posted October 21, 2025
The bad news for the Tennessee Titans is that they are an unmitigated train wreck at 1-6 following another blowout loss, this time to the New England Patriots. The good news for the Titans is that they will surely get the number-one overall…wait, the New York Jets. Nevermind.
In the process of getting pasted 31-13 by the visiting Patriots, their secondary got thoroughly roasted. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte apparently wasn’t satisfying with mopping up the field with the Titans secondary, he had to take shots at them after the game too.
Specifically, he didn’t think much of their effort.
“It felt good, something we worked on all week. Big throw. Big catch,” Boutte said regarding his touchdown catch. “We took advantage of lazy cornerback play, lazy safety play, and [it was] just a big play.”
As if the Titans already don’t have self-esteem issues. Titans interim head coach Mike McCoy (who is probably praying he never gets the interim tagged removed) wasn’t overly thrilled with Boutte’s comments.
“I don’t agree with it,” McCoy said. “I think our players have prepared, and played hard, week in and week out. I do not agree with it.”
I really didn’t expect him to say, ‘you know, he does make a great point. You should see these guys in practice! Lay! Zee!’
Tennessee Titans couldn’t stop the run either
It wasn’t just the secondary getting torn apart, the Titans also couldn’t stop the Patriots from running the ball. The Pats racked up 175 yards on the ground on their way to 387 yards of total offense.
McCoy said on Monday that it’s more than just one thing that leads to these kinds of dreadful defensive results.
“It’s a combination,” McCoy said. “We have to be in the right gaps at certain times, run fits, who is supposed to be doing certain things – that was the biggest thing. It was not just one position, or one person, it was everybody.”
It certainly didn’t help that all-world defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons left the game with an injury. He is far and away the Titans best football player.
The Tennessee Titans also can’t run the ball themselves
Let’s just keep it going.
It’s not just that the Titans can’t stop the run or the pass, they can’t run or pass on offense either. Having a lousy passing game is kind of par for the course when you have a rookie quarterback, putrid offensive line and really no weapons of note to speak of. Sorry, Calvin Ridley, but you’re oft-injured and ineffective.
When it comes to running the football, the Titans had 39 yards on 12 carries. Raise your hand if you are shocked that this team won a game this year.
McCoy was asked about the importance of running the football.
“It’s critical – you have to run the football,” McCoy said. “You can’t be one-dimensional in this business. In a perfect world, there’s some balance to it all.”
What is McCoy really supposed to say? He’s been handed an absolute dumpster fire and if he does anything with this roster it will be seen as a positive. Unless Amy Adams Strunk just wants to pull a Rachel Phelps and tank the season so she can move the team to Miami.
Brashard Smith is starting to earn a real role in Chiefs offense
The Kansas City Chiefs obliterated the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Hilarious stats and rare feats aimed at the Raiders certainly made this division beatdown even more exciting for Chiefs fans. Kansas City has regained its high-flying offense over the last month or so, and Patrick Mahomes is playing at a tremendous level. That has resulted in many of K.C.'s weapons beginning to get in a groove.
Yet it's important to consider some players who aren't among the top options on offense, yet whose presence is crucial in smaller ways. That's held true for rookie running back Brashard Smith.
Smith is not the top running back on the depth chart. But as the offense has continued to improve, he has been jumping out with his handful of touches. The amount of chances he is getting has increased as a result. In turn, the snap counts for Brashard Smith are noticeably important to monitor moving forward as well.
The Chiefs gave Smith 19 total touches on Sunday. Against the Raiders, he had 39 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards. That equates to roughly 4.26 yards per touch. Smith's yards and efficiency are one thing to admire from the box score.
Brashard Smith continues to pop noticeably at running back for the Chiefs.
However, the ways in which he is creating positive gains are what are truly exciting for Kansas City's offense moving forward. Smith displayed tough, physical running when given some carries against the Raiders. He fought through contact to work and find extra hidden yards. In some cases, that was the difference between converting for a first down or not against the Raiders.
We know his initial college football history as a pass catcher. But when watching him after the catch, Smith comes off as very instinctual. He knows where the leverage is while he works upfield. Elsewhere, Smith has done well not to waste time and space once the ball is in his hands.
Smith may not be fully developed at running back right now. Whenever he enters the game, though, there is a buzz about how the Chiefs will go about deploying him. And when he does get opportunities, it feels like Smith takes it and churns out a positive gain in a more entertaining way than expected.
This initial push from Smith from the early point of his career could come in handy both this season and moving forward. Who knows how much the Chiefs believed he would be in this position as someone worth counting on seven games into his rookie year. But also, Kansas City can navigate the running back waters a little more comfortably this offseason with decisions at the position looming.
Smith is becoming a trusted tertiary option in the Chiefs' offense, which isn't a given for any young player trying to break into Patrick Mahomes' list of preferred targets. If Brashard Smith can continue to produce in this role, he will be a critical go-to option in the quick passing game and in the screen game when Kansas City reaches the most vital part of the season.
