The Titans blew a fourth quarter lead for the second straight game on Sunday and that left them as losers for a third straight week after opening their season with a victory over the Buccaneers.
Tennessee’s fate was sealed when Marcus Mariota was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore with under two minutes to play on a pass intended for Kendall Wright, who was in a foul temper in the locker room after the game. When asked if he was the intended target on the play, Wright said he couldn’t “remember the last time I was the primary option on anything” and that he doesn’t feel like he’s “relevant at all” on offense for Tennessee.
“I’m beyond frustrated,” Wright said, via the Tennessean. “I don’t feel like I’m being able to do what I can do until late in games. I feel like I’m a good receiver and I feel like I’ve been open and I can beat the DBs or whoever is [covering] me, but I haven’t really been given the opportunity I’ve been looking for.”
Wright had three catches for 29 yards and was credited as the target on three other throws during Sunday’s game. No receiver on the Titans was targeted more often. Wright said that he didn’t speak to anybody inside the organization about his feelings before speaking to everybody outside the organization about his disappointment.
“I haven’t talked to anybody about it,” Wright said. “I don’t feel like it’s my place. I feel like I was supposed to be the number one receiver. I feel like I was supposed to get the targets. But we have a bunch of receivers and we’re all trying to make plays. We’re all fighting to make plays. It’s not just me. Everybody wants the ball. But that’s just how it’s playing out.”
Mariota said he thought there may have been a couple of times when he missed Wright on Sunday when asked about the receiver’s comments and that the team will “find ways to get him the ball” in the future.