Despite an embarrassing Thursday night loss in front of a national audience, the Tennessee Titans don't appear to be in a heap of trouble from the outside looking in.

They still sit fifth in the AFC with a winning record, and have a relatively easy upcoming schedule with the next four opponents starting their second-string quarterback. They have early-season wins over the vaunted defenses of the Jaguars and Seahawks, and remain in line to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

But they aren't good - not as good as they should be anyway.

On paper, the Titans should have a balanced, well-oiled offensive machine powered by the dynamic skill set of Marcus Mariota, a combination of youth and experience at receiver, a quality offensive line, and one of the NFL's best 1-2 punches at running back with DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. Despite playing in a rather weak division, the Titans' offense does not strike fear in its opponents.

Category Rank Passing Yards 21st Rushing Yards 11th Totals Yards 20th Points 15th

If you're looking for the reason why the offense is so much less productive than it should be, you don't need to look much further than the coaching staff.

Mike Mularkey did well as head coach of the Bills in his first season back in 2005, scoring the sixth-most points in the league but ultimately missing the playoffs. Since then, he has not had his offense finish higher than 20th in points scored over his five-and-a-alf seasons as a head coach.

Mularkey landed the Titans' coaching gig following a 2-7 stint as interim coach to end the 2015 season, with some attributing that faith to his amicable relationship with ownership.

The team improved under their new coach the next season, following a 3-13 record in 2015 by going 9-7 in 2016. And despite his inability to make the Titans into an explosive offensive unit, he did remarkably better than his predecessor, which was enough to not get fired.

The AFC is in rough shape with 10-of-16 teams entering Week 11 with a record below .500, so the Titans still have a good shot at making the playoffs, regardless of whether they are actually a "playoff-caliber" team. That makes it increasingly unlikely the team makes a concerted effort to elevate its conservative offence, with a playoff spot on the horizon.

Week Opponent Record 12 at Colts 3-7 13 vs. Texans 3-6 14 at Cardinals 4-5 15 at 49ers 1-9 16 vs. Rams 7-2 17 vs. Jaguars 6-3

But even if Tennessee makes the tournament, it's tough to argue this is the year it gets over the hump to becoming a consistent contender.

While some fans may be looking short-term at the opportunity to make it back to the playoffs, earning a game after Week 17 would essentially guarantee Mularkey keeps his position, and thus guarantee another year of Mariota's rookie contract is wasted on the same basic offense.

If the Titans happened to falter down the stretch and miss the postseason, the front office would have plenty of reason to move on from Mularkey to someone who can appreciate the talent on the roster. General manager Jon Robinson's past experience in the Patriots' front office would likely make for a solid partnership with New England's offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is expected to be the hottest name on the coaching market after the season.

The goal of football is obviously to win the most games, but sometimes a team needs to take a step backwards before it can move forward. This is one of those times.