Titans are off to their worst start since 2015 and looking for answers with a 1st-year coach

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans never saw this coming, and now their challenge is trying to salvage something from a 1-6 start that is the franchise's worst since 2015.

The Titans spent a lot in free agency and draft capital to give first-year coach Brian Callahan plenty of help.

Callahan said Monday he knows the Titans have no proof for their hard work. He didn't ask for trust and said there's no “sugar-coating” with Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.

“It’s a production-based business and a results-based business. We’re 1-6, and that is what it is,” Callahan said. “But I do have faith in where we’re headed, and I do have faith in how we go about our business here and what that’s going to bring for us.”

That 2015 start cost Ken Whisenhunt his job 23 games into his tenure. The Titans' biggest problem now is that Strunk has a general manager in his second season with a first-year coach in Callahan and no results to show for all the investment.

The Titans have been outscored 86-24 over their past two road losses combined after a 52-14 rout in Detroit that was the fourth-worst loss by point margin since this franchise became the Titans in 1999.

Worse, any flashes of improvement continue being drowned out by turnovers, penalties and other mistakes.

Only Carolina (1-7) has a worse record thanks to the Titans having their bye Oct. 6, and Tennessee is closer to being eliminated from playoff contention with a measly 2% chance at the postseason — worst in the AFC.

The defense. The Titans put the offense in good position starting the game by forcing a Detroit three-and-out. They had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with four. They lead the NFL in both giving up a league-low 265.4 yards per game and 151.6 yards passing.

Unfortunately, four turnovers and long returns allowed on special teams left Tennessee with too many short fields to defend. They gave up five touchdowns with the longest drive 26 yards.

Special teams. They gave up a 72-yard kickoff return and 190 yards on punt returns, including a 90-yarder for a touchdown by a former Titans receiver in Kalif Raymond.

The Titans are last in the NFL in allowing 18.2 yards on punt returns and next to last on kickoff return coverage. Punter Ryan Stonehouse has a powerful leg but needs to better angle his punts to help his teammates. Callahan said the hangtime was around 4 seconds, which isn't enough.

Callahan said he will watch film with coordinator Colt Anderson and what schemes can be tweaked. The coach also defended Anderson, saying personnel was changed after giving up a couple of blocked punts early this season. That sacrificed some speed and coverage ability.

Hey Calvin Ridley! The high-priced free agent finally came through with his best game for his new team and best in a couple of seasons. He caught every pass in the first quarter for 118 yards and finished with a season-high 10 catches for 143 yards.

That was a massive improvement for a receiver targeted 23 times with five catches for 26 yards total over his past four games.

Mason Rudolph. Yes, the backup quarterback got the offense moving and putting up lots of yards. He also stared down a receiver on one of his two interceptions. Rudolph finished completing 57.9% of his passes and threw incomplete on four attempts on first-and-goal from the 1 at the end of the first half.

Callahan said he's optimistic quarterback Will Levis might be closer to 100% after having two games off to heal sprained right AC joint in his throwing shoulder. The coach said he didn't have any new injuries to report from the game.

The challenge will be if CB L'Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) and RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring) have a chance to return after missing two straight games.

16 — The number of turnovers by the Titans that are next to last in the NFL. Combined with only three takeaways, they are tied with the Raiders for last in turnover margin.

Try to win at home for the first time this season by hosting New England (2-6) on Sunday. Then hit the road to visit the Chargers in a season going nowhere fast — except to a top draft pick in April.

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Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) runs into the end zone for a touchdown past Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) and linebacker Jack Gibbens (50) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes a catch past Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, right, celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph addresses the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans head coach Bria Callahan looks onto the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are approaching records Monday ahead of a big week for profit reports from Big Tech stocks. Oil prices, meanwhile, are tumbling toward their worst loss in more than a year.

The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in afternoon trading. The main measure of the U.S. stock market is coming off its first losing week in the last seven, but it’s still near its all-time high set earlier this month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 293 points, or 0.7%, as of 2:36 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher and flirting with its own record set in July.

Several Big Tech stocks helped lead the way, and five of the behemoths known as the “Magnificent Seven” are on this week’s schedule to report their latest profits. These high-flying stocks have been at the forefront of Wall Street for years and have grown so big that their movements can singlehandedly shift the S&P 500.

After suffering a summertime swoon on worries that their stock prices had risen too quickly when compared with their profits, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are under pressure to deliver more big growth.

Another member of the Magnificent Seven, Tesla, soared to one of the best days in its history last week after reporting a better profit than analysts expected.

Monday’s gains for Big Tech helped offset drops for stocks in the oil-and-gas industry, which were hurt by the sinking price of oil. Exxon Mobil’s 0.6% drop and ConocoPhillips’ slide of 1.5% were two of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude fell 6.1%, and Brent crude, the international standard, slid 5.9%. It was the first trading for them since Israel attacked Iranian military targets on Saturday, in retaliation for an earlier barrage of ballistic missiles. Israel’s attack was more restrained than some investors had feared it could be, and it raised hopes that a worst-case scenario may be avoided.

Beyond the violence that is taking a human toll, the worry in financial markets is that an escalating war in the Middle East could cut off the flow of crude from Iran, which is a major oil producer. Such worries had sent the price of Brent crude up to nearly $81 per barrel in early October, despite signals that plenty of oil is available for the global economy. It’s since fallen back below $72.

Financial markets are also dealing with the volatility that typically surrounds a U.S. presidential election, with Election Day fast approaching in two Tuesdays. Markets have historically been shaky heading into an election, only to calm afterward regardless of which party wins.

The trend affects both the stock and the bond markets. In the bond market, Treasury yields were ticking higher to tack more gains onto their sharp rise for the month so far.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.29% from 4.24% late Friday. That's well above the roughly 3.70% level where it was near the start of October.

Yields have climbed as report after report has shown the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected. That’s good news for Wall Street, because it bolsters hopes the economy can escape from the worst inflation in generations without the painful recession that many had worried was inevitable.

But it’s also forcing traders to ratchet back forecasts for how deeply the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates, now that it’s just as focused on keeping the economy humming as getting inflation lower. With bets diminishing on how much the Fed will ultimately cut rates, Treasury yields have also been given back some of their earlier declines.

That means the U.S. jobs report on the schedule for Friday could end up being the market's main event, even bigger than the Big Tech profit reports. Investors want to see more evidence of solid hiring to keep alive the perfect-landing hopes for the economy.

Such data has supplanted inflation reports, which used to be the most important for Wall Street every month but have waned as inflation seems to be heading toward the Fed's target of 2%.

Yields have also climbed as investors have seen former President Donald Trump's chances of re-election improving. Economists say a Trump win could help push inflation higher in the long term, and worsening inflation could push the Fed to hike interest rates.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that tends to move more with Trump's re-election odds than on its own profit prospects, jumped 18.9% Monday to $46.27. The parent company of Trump's Truth Social platform has been rallying since hitting a bottom of roughly $12 in late September, though it's still well below its perch above $60 reached in March.

Robinhood Markets rose 3.3% after it said it would begin allowing some of its customers to trade contracts based on whether they think either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris will win the 2024 election.

Delta Air Lines was another winner and rose 3.1% after suing CrowdStrike, claiming the cybersecurity company had cut corners and caused a worldwide technology outage that led to thousands of canceled flight in July.

In stock markets abroad, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.8% as the value of the Japanese yen sank after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’ s ruling coalition lost a majority in the 465-seat lower house in a key parliamentary election Sunday.

Stock indexes were mostly higher across much of the rest of Asia and in Europe.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown on Sept. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader works near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)