Titans' awful offense puts Mike Mularkey on defensive

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Of the fair and rather innocuous questions Mike Mularkey faced after his Tennessee Titans offense managed seven points and 62 second-half yards in a loss to the 6-7 Arizona Cardinals, it was the one about Marcus Mariota’s latest critical mistakes that elicited sarcasm served with a side of arrogance.

“Let me, again, look at the film. I’m not as astute at exactly everything as you guys are, watching it with the naked eye,” Mularkey said after the 12-7 defeat Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium to fall to 8-5 on the season. “I like watching the tape a few times, and I’ll comment on it tomorrow.”

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No need, really. This is a child’s game, played by large men on a 100-yard field, and if it was that hard to understand, people wouldn’t show up or tune in to watch. But some coaches are afflicted with the belief that, because they spend countless hours planning this violence and draping it in lingo and code words, the unwashed masses outside their locker rooms couldn’t possibly comprehend it.

By the way, that last paragraph was, in our newsroom playbook, a G47 Triple Adjective Purple Modifier on Two. Pretty complex stuff. It takes years to rise to that level of genius. And for all you haters who didn’t like that paragraph, I’ll bet you didn’t even work on your high school’s newspaper or yearbook! What were you doing, playing sports?!

Seriously, though, I’m aware that anyone can do my job. So let’s complete the very easy task of breaking down this loss together. Mariota (16-for-31, 159 yards, 39.6 rating) was not good enough and simply didn’t see the defender on his second interception. The Cardinals were excellent on defense and the Titans missed left tackle Taylor Lewan (lower back) for most of the game. But the Titans’ offensive plan, play calling and execution were awful.

“We just (crapped) the bed, pretty much,” tight end Delanie Walker said.

“I’m just pissed off,” Mariota said, and he spoke for all Titans fans with these words: “Frustration is an understatement.”

And let’s all agree on this, too. Yeah, the Titans are still in position to play the 9-4 Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South title in the regular-season finale at Nissan Stadium if they can stay within a game in the standings. Two wins in the Titans’ final three games – at San Francisco and home against the Los Angeles Rams before the Jags – should clinch the team’s first playoff bid since 2008 even if it doesn't win the division.

But they’re in trouble. And Mularkey probably will be, too, if they blow this and miss the postseason. This next game against the 3-10 49ers, resurgent with new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in place, is the biggest of his tenure.

And here’s where we may start disagreeing. Mularkey has been the fan scapegoat since he took over on an interim basis in 2015, based on his poor record as a head coach. But I think he’s done a good job and deserves more credit than he gets for the 5-27 awfulness of 2014-15 transitioning to 17-12 in the past two seasons.

More:Titans report card: Mariota, offense flatline in second half of loss to Cardinals

I think his offensive system is fine. I’m on the record as believing offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie has done a good job overall. Last season Mariota flourished in this very same attack under the very same coaches. Throwing everything on those coaches is simplistic.

The Titans haven’t blocked as well or run as well. They haven’t protected as well. Mariota’s receivers haven’t played as well, and neither has he. He hurt his knee Sunday, and I think he’s been more banged up this season than publicly revealed, but that doesn’t explain away bad decisions.

And all this poor execution doesn’t excuse the coaches. Mularkey is going to get blasted all week for a fake punt in the third quarter that was stopped (after the Cardinals challenged and replay review overturned the initial spot, a rarity), leading to a Cardinals field goal to make it 7-6 Titans.

More:Best and worst from the Titans' loss to the Cardinals

I honestly didn’t hate his aggression there. The bigger problem to me was the play before the fake – a predictable third-and-1 run to Derrick Henry that was predictably doomed from the start. There were a lot of plays like that Sunday, though I hesitate to revisit because it’s become boring to talk about how boring these Titans games have become.

All we can do is wonder why.

“I’m not the coach. I really don’t know,” Walker said, and later when he was asked if it was time to change some things up offensively, he said: “That’s a question for the coach. I just go out there and do what they call, pretty much.”

And we probably wouldn’t understand, anyway.

Reach Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @joerexrode.