Just when the Tennessee Titans were just starting to make some noise in the NFL since Chris Johnson rushed for 2,000 yards in his rookie season, the Titans have run straight into a brick wall. Just a week removed from a stunning performance against the visiting San Diego Chargers (aside from a few maddening inconsistencies), quarterback Jake Locker was turning in his greatest performance under center. In one half of play, Locker was turning heads with three touchdowns against a tough New York Jets defense, helping the Titans start off with a commanding 24-6 lead. But in the third quarter, the last thing that Titans fans needed to see happened. On the beginning of their second drive in the third quarter, Jake Locker suffered two big hits from Jets defensive linemen Muhammad Wilkerson and Quinton Coples. After Locker's attempted pass to Nate Washington was ruled incomplete, Titans fans watched as they felt their season slip away. Locker laid still on the field, undoubtedly in excruciating pain. This would lead to Locker being carted off the field and escorted to the nearest hospital, leaving backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to finish the game for the Titans. This was Fitzpatrick's chance to silence any doubts and put Titans fans at ease with steady play. Instead, Fitzpatrick proceeded to strike Titans fans with further doubt. Aside from a beautiful touchdown pass to receiver Nate Washington, Fitzpatrick continued to show more of the same qualities that lead to the Buffalo Bills releasing him. Despite a solid pre-season with the Titans second-team, the Harvard graduate was mostly inaccurate from the pocket. He missed easy throws that a veteran of his status should make in his sleep. Don't let the stat line from his last season as the Bills starting quarterback fool you. Fitzpatrick, like Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, struggled to be the answer at quarterback in Buffalo with shaky accuracy and game-costing interceptions. He's no Mark Sanchez, but he's not someone the Titans would want to put their hopes on when discussing playoff potential. So with all that said...is the Tennessee Titans' season over? This isn't the first time that Locker will miss playing time. He missed time last season due to a tear on his non-throwing shoulder. Questions about Locker's durability will continue to stir. The Titans staff will be unable to truly evaluate the former first-round draft pick again. The unfortunate circumstance of this injury is that it came right as Jake Locker was proving himself as the Titans' quarterback of the future. Titans fans were surely relieved to hear that Locker would only miss three games due to a sprained right hip, putting him on pace to return for a game on the road against the St. Louis Rams. But this means that Ryan Fitzpatrick will carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for the next three weeks. Introducing the next three opponents for the Titans: the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks, and the San Francisco 49ers. The good news is that the Titans' bouts against the Chiefs and the 49ers is at home. The worst news? Their game against the Seahawks is in Seattle. In case you weren't aware, the Seahawks are unstoppable at CenturyLink Field. These are three teams with trusted quarterbacks in Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick, and three teams who could potentially expose the weaknesses of the Tennessee Titans. The Chiefs have made a dramatic turnaround since last season, winning their first four games after a disappointing 2-14 record. Their defense is playing lights-out with playmakers like Justin Houston, Jamaal Charles continues proving himself as one of the NFL's premier runningbacks, and Alex Smith hasn't lost a step since Jim Harbaugh successfully revived his career. No one will give the Titans a chance against Seattle considering the weapons on their roster. Their bench is deep with talent; many fans have them marked as the heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. Their defense is unquestionably the best in the league. Any arguments against them will be answered with two words: Richard Sherman. Runningback Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson are nightmares on offense with their play-making ability, and this is without considering just how dangerous this unit if sensational receiver Percy Harvin hadn't gone down during training camps with an injury. The battle with the 49ers could be the most likely one for an upset with their recent struggles. Their showing against the Rams may give fans a reason not to count them out, but their games against the Colts and the Seahawks have exposed a big weakness. The loss of Michael Crabtree has rendered the 49ers receiving corps nearly ineffective. Anquan Boldin was a great pickup over the off-season, but he simply isn't a true No. 1 receiver. The receivers struggle to beat man coverage and get open for Kaepernick. The read-option has been rendered ineffective, taking away from Kaepernick's effectiveness as a dual-threat quarterback. The defense has taken a step back and look weaker this year. It doesn't help that linebacker Patrick Willis struggles to get healthy and that Aldon Smith, the 49ers best pass-rusher, is currently in rehab in an attempt to straighten his life out. This could be another statement game made by a Titans defense that has been nothing short of impressive after four weeks. If Ryan Fitzpatrick can win at least one of these games before the Titans enter into their bye week, he will earn himself a place in Titans history should the Titans continue their impressive play upon Locker's return. With the way the Titans defense notably cornerback Alterraun Verner, who currently ties two other players (New England Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib and Buffalo Bills inside linebacker Kiko Alonso) with the most interceptions in the league (four) has been playing, it would be a shame if Fitzpatrick's struggles in Buffalo carried over to Tennessee. Even so, is this the time for Titans fans to panic? No, it isn't. Yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick will start against three tough units who may outmatch the Titans. Yes, not much would change if Jake Locker weren't injured and ready to go. Yes, I truly doubt that Ryan Fitzpatrick will step up and be the leader the Titans need him to be while Locker rehabs the injury to his right hip. But the remaining schedule would consist of two divisional matchups against the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, a rematch with the Houston Texans, and games against the St. Louis Rams, the Oakland Raiders, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Denver Broncos. The only one I see the Titans having no chance in is against Denver, who currently have pundits in ecstasy over a loaded Broncos offense the most talented unit Peyton Manning has ever orchestrated with potential to break records set six years ago by the best offensive unit assembled with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Anyone who thinks Jacksonville will win one game this season is giving them too much credit. Indianapolis's defense is suspect despite two strong showings against the 49ers and the Jaguars, but Andrew Luck is the bigger concern to worry about in this situation. What helps is that their two matches with the Colts are close to each other, keeping them fresh on Tennessee's mind. A 1-3 record has the jury out on the St. Louis unit, especially on quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams defense has not been impressive. The Raiders have shown improvement over the past few weeks and could become a great team with the right system in place, but the Raiders will need a lot of magic to steal a wild-card berth this season. The rematch with the Texans is the only true toss-up here, as the Titans showed they were capable of hanging with the top team in the AFC South. They only lost due to poor offensive play-calling and costly mistakes on defense that allowed the Texans to get back in the game and ultimately win in overtime. If there's anything to be taken into consideration here, it's the fact that finally, the Titans have the pieces in place to become a contender in the AFC. The first four weeks have made me a believer in Jake Locker, and a believer in the Tennessee Titans. Justin Hunter, Nate Washington, and Delanie Walker will quickly make fans forget about Kenny Britt. Despite his attitude issues and despite the fact that he may never rush for 2,000 yards again, Chris Johnson can still be a big contributor to this offense. His speed and elusiveness has not completed faded away as he showed in the pre-season. They may not put up a lot of points like the Broncos or the New Orleans Saints, but the Tennessee Titans are definitely a fun team to keep an eye on as the season progresses.