Tennessee Titans grades vs. L.A. Chargers: Unpacking a heartbreaking loss

The injury-riddled and reeling Tennessee Titans tacked on their fourth consecutive loss Sunday, falling 17-14 in the final moments Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who injured his right ankle on the first drive, scored the tying touchdown but left the Chargers (8-6), with their explosive offense led by quarterback Justin Herbert, enough time (48 seconds) to get down field and set Cameron Dickson up for the winning 43-yard field goal.

The Titans (7-7) head into the final three games of regular the season having lost five of their past seven games.

Offense: D

Granted the Titans were handicapped with Tannehill hobbled after the early injury, but with Herbert being kept in check by the defense for much of the game, there were opportunities to take control if the offense would have been more productive. Tannehill threw only his sixth interception of the season when he tried to hit Racey McMath in double coverage in the third quarter. Nasir Adderley came down with the overthrown ball at the Titans' 48.

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Tannehill finished 15-of-22 for 166 yards and was sacked four times. He did, however, set up his tying touchdown by completing six straight passes for 54 yards on the Titans' final drive.

With the passing game lagging, Derrick Henry rushed for 104 hard-fought yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown. His longest run was for only 13 yards. It was Henry's seventh 100-yard rushing game this season. Henry also was the leading receiver with 59 yards on four catches.

The offense, which had 284 total yards, was just 3-of-11 on third-down conversions

Defense: B+

The only way the defense could have played better would have meant preventing the Chargers from going 52 yards on six plays in the final minute for the game-winning field goal.

The defense came up with its first takeaway in five games late in the first half on a spectacular play by cornerback Roger McReary and Josh Kalu.

The Chargers, who were already in field goal range, took a shot into the end zone when Herbert threw to Mike Williams. McCreary was falling out of bounds and batted the ball back in to Kalu, who managed to get two feet down before he fell out of bounds. The interception was the first thrown by Herbert in 162 consecutive passes and prevented the Chargers from attempting the field goal, which would have given them the halftime lead.

In the third quarter, safety Kevin Byard intercepted Herbert at the Titans 20. That marked the first time Herbert has thrown two interceptions in 16 games.

After recording just four sacks over the previous four games, defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons got to Herbert on the Chargers' first possession for a 9-yard loss. On the Chargers' first possession of the second half, defensive end DeMarcus Walker sacked Herbert for a 7-yard loss, forcing a fourth down, and came up with another sack later in the third quarter.

Special teams: C-

The Titans were in field goal range early in the fourth quarter and poised to take the lead before Tannehill was sacked for a 10-yard loss. That moved the ball back to the Chargers 35 and kicker Randy Bullock's 51-yard field goal attempt veered wide right.

Punter Ryan Stonehouse showed off his powerful leg, booming 66- and 68-yard punts in the second half. He averaged 56 yards on seven punts and did a good job keeping the Chargers' offense backed up for most of the game.

Mason Kinsey stepped in for Dontrell HIlliard, who was injured, to return punts and didn't get anything done coming up with no yards on two attempts.

Coaching: C

Coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen came up with a solid game plan to keep Herbert from getting into a rhythm. Herbert completed 28 of 42 passes for 313 yards but didn't throw a touchdown, and the interceptions were uncharacteristic.

Some of the moves made by offensive coordinator Todd Downing late were questionable. The Titans actually had two shots at scoring in the final six minutes. Before the drive on which they scored, they got the ball at their own 20, and Henry picked up 20 yards on his first two carries. He fumbled, which was recovered by center Ben Jones, on his third carry, and didn't get to touch the ball again on the drive, which ended when Tannehill was sacked for the fourth time.

Overall: D

It was another lopsided performance for the Titans with the defense doing enough to win and the offense being inept for much of the game. Any momentum this team gained during a five-game win streak is long gone, and the playoffs are no longer a sure thing.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans grades vs. L.A. Chargers: Unpacking another loss