NFL Nation

          Titans can't match talented Panthers

          NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Does a better fight against a high-quality team amount to progress?

          The Tennessee Titans weren't happy with their 27-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, who remained undefeated in 2015. Mike Mularkey preaches that the Titans can’t beat themselves and they didn’t make the same level of major mistakes with the same frequency they have in the recent past.

          "They're just efficient," interim coach Mike Mularkey said of the Panthers. "It's not going to be 500 yards of offense and 40 points. It's just possess-the-football, wear-you-down-eventually."

          Marcus Mariota threw an interception to Kurt Coleman on a play in which rookie receiver Dorial Green-Beckham didn’t do enough to prevent it. Anthony Fasano dropped a third down pass and Mariota dropped a third-down snap. Dexter McCluster lost a fumble for the second game in a row.

          And Mularkey made a couple questionable coaching decisions -- including accepting a penalty when declining it would have made Carolina face fourth down, and challenging a play that had no chance of reversal.

          But this game didn't feel like one where that stuff decided the outcome. The talent differential was obvious, and it was the reason for the loss.

          Tennessee never had very good field position, and while it put good pressure on Cam Newton and sacked him five times, the Titans matched the Panthers for a while and then dropped off.

          It was 14-10 at the half, but the Panthers suffocated the hosts from there.

          What it means: The Titans have now lost 10 games in a row at home, going back to Oct. 12, 2014. The Titans finished their season series against the NFL South with a 2-2 record, beating Tampa Bay and New Orleans on the road and losing to Atlanta and Carolina at home.

          What were they thinking? The Titans burned a timeout near the end of the third quarter. Mularkey threw his challenge flag after an 8-yard Jerricho Cotchery catch that got the Panthers in field goal range. Cotchery lost the ball as his forearm hit the ground. It was very clear. Mularkey said he thought it was worth a try as he wasn't sure it was caught or that it wasn't a fumble. In a one-score game, that burned a timeout too easily. He also accepted a first-quarter penalty for a third-and-7 the Panthers converted when Carolina could have had fourth-and-short. He said the Panthers are very good in a fourth-and-inches situation and he thought they'd go for it with a good chance of success.

          One reason to freak out: Kendall Wright has missed two games with a sprained knee. Now Justin Hunter could be out for an extended period. On the Panthers’ sideline, as Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly went to tackle McCluster, he hit Hunter low. Trainers quickly put a cast on Hunter’s right leg and he was carted to the locker room. Rico Richardson, the Titans' fifth receiver, who has hardly played, could be in line for more work. Seventh-round draft pick Tre McBride is on the practice squad.

          Fantasy watch: The Titans' defense recorded five sacks of Newton and remains a unit to consider on at least a week-to-week basis. The defense has limited threats to break off a big return with Dexter McCluster handling both jobs. The Titans are especially unthreatening on kickoff returns.

          Ouch: Starting cornerbacks Jason McCourty (groin) and Perrish Cox (hamstring) were inactive and Blidi Wreh-Wilson (hamstring) didn’t return to action after halftime. The Titans' secondary can’t get healthy and the depth is really being tested on the outside. Defensive lineman Al Woods left the game late in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Mularkey didn't have details of Hunter's injury but said it's "not good."

          What's next: The Titans make their one prime-time appearance of the season on Thursday night in Jacksonville in their first matchup against the Jaguars this season.