INDIANAPOLIS -- The frustration is mounting for the Titans, especially cornerback Kristian Fulton, who didn't hold back when asked about his performance in Tennessee's 23-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Fulton was flagged for two pass interference penalties, including one where he thought he was in the right position.
"I thought it was a bad call," Fulton said. "It's hard when you got to play against the refs and the wide receivers. But that's the life of a DB."
The call Fulton was referring to happened on third-and-12 in the fourth quarter, when he got tangled up with Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. There was contact at the top of the route when Pittman ran a double move.
Fulton believed he was squarely in front of the receiver, which wouldn't have warranted a penalty. The officials thought differently and threw the flag, extending the drive for Indianapolis and allowing the Colts to take precious time off the clock and kick a field goal for a 23-16 lead with one minute remaining.
Teams have started to use the double move -- where a receiver fakes one route then runs another -- against Fulton more often this season. Titans coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged that sitting Fulton was under consideration, and that he spoke to the cornerback during halftime about the techniques required to defend the double move.
"There was thought," Vrabel said when asked about the possibility of benching Fulton, who played on 58 of the 61 defensive snaps for the Titans. "We wanted Kristian to challenge and do his job."
Vrabel continued, "We just got to make sure we keep our eyes on our man and not in the backfield. We're in man coverage. We're not going to intercept the football in man coverage. Our job in man coverage is to not let our guy catch the ball. And if the ball gets tipped, then the safety is probably going to intercept it.
"But we can't go ... looking for interceptions in man coverage."
The Titans pass defense gave up three explosive plays this week after not allowing the Cincinnati Bengals any last Sunday. Tennessee also gave up 193 rushing yards in this week's loss.
Despite the loss and his recent struggles, Fulton, who is in a contract year, vows to keep pressing forward.
"You got to show up every week," Fulton said. "I'm going to keep challenging every week and keep showing up."