NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis stood in the backfield in shotgun as he scanned the field before the snap and noticed how Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was lined up against wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

The two were on an island without any help over the top because the safety crept from 12 yards off the ball to 8.

Willis immediately knew where he was going with the ball and lofted a well-placed pass, but Westbrook-Ikhine was unable to make the play and the pass fell incomplete. The Titans were left to a third-and-9 at the Chiefs' 38-yard line instead of first-and-10 inside the 10-yard line.

"We just have to go back to work and try to get better and make the plays that we need to make," Westbrook-Ikhine said after the 20-17 loss. "It's one bad game. We had a few bad plays, so we just have to get back to work."

This is a good example of what has become a big problem for Tennessee's offense -- the wide receivers are unable to take advantage of one-on-one opportunities.

Willis, who made only his second NFL start in place of injured starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, tried to give his receivers an opportunity to take advantage of the coverage on two separate occasions, but like Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Conley came up short for Willis earlier in the game.

The pass was perfectly placed over Conley's shoulder, but it bounced off of his hands as he tumbled to the ground. The Titans were forced to punt instead of having the ball in field goal range with two minutes left in the first half.

"[Willis] threw some really nice deep balls," coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. "We went up and down with three of them that we gotta make. He made some really nice balls that hopefully we can figure out how to catch and come down with."

The Titans (5-3) finished without a wide receiver recording a catch, making them the fourth team in the last 20 seasons to not have a receiver do so in a game.

The receivers were unable to create separation despite Kansas City's attention being focused on stopping running back Derrick Henry, who had 115 rushing yards on 17 carries and rushed for two touchdowns.

ESPN's Ed Werder reported Vrabel saying, “We’ve been able to use [Henry], and he’s helped us win a lot of games since I’ve been here. I don’t what else we would do -- throw it 50 times? I mean, who the [expletive] would we throw it to?’’

The Titans' pass catchers averaged 1.53 yards of separation on 11 targets. That’s the fourth-lowest mark in a game over the last five seasons and the worst by any team this season.

Willis, who finished 5 of 16 passing for 80 yards, was forced to try to buy time in the pocket, and at times, he had to run while the Chiefs' defensive backs plastered themselves to Tennessee's receivers.

When asked what was going through Willis' mind as he was scrambling, the third-round pick out of Liberty said, "I hope someone gets open soon. I can't keep doing this."

Willis wasn't being critical of his receivers, but rather offering his thought process in the moment.

The lack of separation against the Chiefs (6-2) isn't something that came out of nowhere. This season, the Titans' wide receivers and tight ends have averaged 2.77 yards of separation (30th) on targets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, with only the Saints (2.75) and Browns (2.76) being worse after Sunday's games concluded.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson had the chance to add a playmaker before the trade deadline, but the required compensation to bring in a receiver was probably too high. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for a 2023 second-round pick while the Chiefs sent a 2023 third-round compensatory pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick to the New York Giants for speedster Kadarius Toney.

Help could be on the way for the Titans when first-round pick Treylon Burks returns from injured reserve after suffering a turf toe injury in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. Burks is eligible to have his 21-day window to return from injured reserve this week.

Vrabel was rather complimentary of Burks and offered a glimpse of hope regarding the rookie's return.

"We’ll just have to see where he is physically," Vrabel said of Burks. "He’s worked extremely hard to stay in shape and condition, take care of his body, lift. Mentally, I think this is the best he’s been handling distraction, which is something different and sometimes new for young players. I will say that whenever he’s ready, I’m excited for him to get back out there, and we’ll see where that is this week."

At some point, the Titans have to get more impact from their receivers to bring balance to the offense. Henry's 870 rushing yards is tops in the NFL and is a big reason, along with the defense, why the Titans were riding a five-game winning streak coming into Sunday.

As for the passing game, A.J. Brown, who was the Titans' leading receiver for the last three seasons that was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft night, has more yards (718) and touchdowns (6) this season than the Titans' entire receiver room -- which collectively has 51 receptions for 658 yards and a touchdown.

And things don't get much easier when the Titans face the league's No. 1 pass defense Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) when they host the Denver Broncos at Nissan Stadium.