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The Tennessee Titans faced an uphill battle against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field, seeking to reverse their fortunes after a tough loss to Buffalo last week. With Mason Rudolph stepping in as the starting quarterback for the second straight game due to Will Levis’s shoulder injury, the Titans were already on unstable ground. However, their challenges were compounded by key players like DeAndre Hopkins and Ernest Jones IV being traded, and the absence of cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, running back Tyjae Spears, and newly-acquired linebacker Jerome Baker.

Right from the start, things did not look promising for the Titans. The Lions quickly capitalized on an early mistake by Rudolph, who threw an ill-advised interception to linebacker Trevor Nowaske, leading to a swift 7-yard touchdown run by David Montgomery. Despite a high note when Rudolph connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter, the success was fleeting.

The Lions continually exploited the Titans' defensive weaknesses. Jared Goff’s passes found wide open receivers, including Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown, after a facemask penalty on Jarvis Brownlee put the Lions at the 1-yard line. The Titans’ special teams also faltered, with former Titans WR Kalif Raymond returning a punt for 64 yards, setting up another scoring position for Detroit.

Detroit's versatile offense was on full display with David Montgomery even throwing a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta, increasing their lead to 35-14 late in the second quarter. As the Titans’ offense slowed, Rudolph’s missteps became more pronounced; he ended a promising drive by throwing four straight incompletions from the 1-yard line just before halftime.

Tennessee's defense, meanwhile, struggled to contain Detroit's explosive plays. The Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs dashed for a 70-yard touchdown early on, and later, Detroit capitalized on turnovers and penalties to build their commanding lead. With all units – offense, defense, and special teams – facing their woes, the Titans found themselves collapsing further as the first half concluded.

By halftime, the scoreboard reflected Detroit’s dominance with a 35-14 lead. Tennessee's quest for a mid-season turnaround seemed daunting, with significant adjustments needed across all phases of the game to compete effectively against the NFC’s top seed.

The Titans will need to craft an almost miraculous second-half comeback to avoid adding another mark to their losing streak in what has been a heavily injury-laden and tumultuous season thus far.