ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure nominates Devonta Freeman for his game ball, and Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky selects Wesley Woodyard for his game ball. (1:45)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Being better than last year no longer seems like the correct or reasonable standard for judging the Tennessee Titans six games and seven weeks into this season.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt very much wanted to wash away the stink of 2014’s 2-14 season in the late winter and early spring. He thought we should refer to it less as they moved on.

I don’t know that it’s fair, then, to use being better than that as a reference point now.

I asked him about understanding the concerns about a 3-19 two-year record as Titans coach.

“Yeah, I understand. I do understand,” he said, drained and answering the same questions about the same results from a podium not long after Sunday’s 10-7 loss to Atlanta. “I’ll tell you what other thing I understand. I understand we’re a different football team than we were last year.

“We’re playing with a lot of young guys, we’ve got a lot of things going on, but we’re a much better football team than we were last year. I’ll be happy to debate that with you.”

No debate is needed. It’s true.

It’s just not enough.

The Titans now should be judged against the Titans from earlier this season, not the Titans from last season.

They won a blowout in Tampa Bay.

They got killed by big plays in Cleveland.

They blew a lead against the Colts.

They gave up a key third-and-23 against the Bills.

They got blown out by Miami.

Giving away a late chance at a win or overtime against the Falcons on Sunday didn’t qualify as better than most of that.

It was better than getting stomped by the Dolphins as Miami debuted an interim coach.

That’s about it.

My debate would be about whether they are better than they were earlier this season.

The current Titans have stopped converting third downs on offense. They are turning the ball over too much. They can’t commit to the run, even in a close game during which they have a back in Antonio Andrews faring well. They are incapable of taking advantage of a defensive effort by holding an opponent to 10 points.

Bad Company The worst 22-game starts for an NFL coach since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, per Elias. Coach First year Team Record John McKay* 1976 Tampa Bay 0-22 Jim Ringo** 1976 Buffalo 3-19 Leeman Bennett 1985 Tampa Bay 3-19 Rich Kotite 1995 N.Y. Jets 3-19 Jimmy Johnson 1989 Dallas 3-19 Jim Schwartz 2009 Detroit 3-19 Ken Whisenhunt 2014 Tennessee 3-19 *-Expansion team; **-Took over after five games

Whisenhunt didn’t inherit a very good team, but it was 7-9 in Mike Munchak’s final year. If it had to bottom out in order to start to climb, so be it.

However, Whisenhunt has been at the controls for 22 games now, and the only signs of that climb are that the Titans now lose close more often than they get blown out.

Sixty percent of this season’s losses have been one-score games; it was 36 percent last year.

No player has offered anything less than a public statement of faith in Whisenhunt as the team’s head coach.

“We love Whiz,” outside linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “We’ve got to win for him.”

Delanie Walker agreed.

“Whiz is a great coach,” said the tight end. “He takes care of us.”

Such statements qualify as helpful leadership -- telling the rest of the roster to stay the course. It is also the smart play, remaining loyal company men who won’t rock a boat to the point where they help it take on water.

The plan is still holding the attention of a young team, both Whisenhunt and his players say. It has gotten them close multiple times, and they are on the verge.

It also has become repetitious. It’s increasingly harder to believe.

The Titans need to get quarterback Marcus Mariota healthy. They need to protect him, they need to make catches for him and Whisenhunt needs to call good games for him. The defense needs to build on what it did against the Falcons.

That’s where the hope is.

It’s about the only place.