KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – There was a different mood at the Alabama football post-game press conference between head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide players Saturday night at Neyland Stadium than it was three weeks earlier after the loss to Vanderbilt.

The first-year coach at Alabama was frustrated when his team suffered its second road loss in a row with a 24-17 loss to Tennessee and is now 5-2 (2-2 SEC) with five games remaining. Since 2008, Alabama has lost multiple regular season games only three times (2010, 2019 and 2022), and this is the earliest in a season the Crimson Tide have lost multiple games since Nick Saban's first season in 2007.

So the feelings after Saturday night's game were something Alabama players and fans haven't experienced in 18 years. With the College Football Playoff having grown to 12 teams and the Crimson Tide earning a record win over Georgia, there is still hope for this Alabama team to make the playoffs and compete for a national championship. But it won't have a chance if it continues to play like it did against Tennessee.

And DeBoer knows it.

“I know there are enough people who still believe in it and want to do what we want to do,” he said after the game. “There is still a lot of time left for the season, not just for us but for everyone. It will go quickly if we don't use it. There has to be this urgency – no question about it.”

Since Alabama had a 30-7 halftime lead over Georgia, the team has looked lost most of the time, losing two of three games. The only win required an interception in the final game at home against unranked South Carolina. The Crimson Tide has been outscored 116-90 over the last 14 quarters.

“We’re just not able to get the offense and defense together right now and play great team football,” DeBoer said. “There are times when we need to be able to zone out and have that killer instinct, and right now we're not doing that.”

The defense played well in the first half, holding Tennessee to 143 total yards, forcing three turnovers and keeping the Volunteers off the field. But things looked different in the second half as Tennessee scored 24 points and 270 yards in the second half alone.

The offense was inconsistent from the start, but had a 17-14 lead with just under 14 minutes to play after a rushing touchdown by Justice Haynes. But Alabama's next four possessions after the touchdown were: three-and-out, three-and-out, turnover on downs on four plays and an interception.

Even the special teams struggled at times against Tennessee. Alabama missed opportunities to pin the Volunteers deep in their own territory, and kicker Graham Nicholson failed badly on a 54-yard kick.

Against Vanderbilt, the offense played well, but the defense couldn't get off the field. The next week against South Carolina, the defense played pretty well outside of a series, but the offense struggled to play consistently. The Crimson Tide is still trying to put together a complete performance in all three phases of the game.

Alabama doesn't play disciplined football either. The Crimson Tide were penalized 15 times for 115 yards in Saturday night's loss, including a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against wide receiver Kendrick Law on a third down late in the fourth quarter, giving Alabama a fourth-and-22 instead of another gave manageable fourth and seventh.

“We can’t kill ourselves like this,” DeBoer said. “Sometimes you can see that we are stuck, but we have to get better. We have to get better. No question. You can't win a football game if you make mistakes like we made there and all the penalties.

Alabama has winnable games left with home games against Missouri, Mercer and Auburn as well as a road trip to Oklahoma. The toughest test left is the Nov. 9 matchup at No. 8 LSU. But the Crimson Tide still has a lot of cleaning up to do to ensure each of those games ends in a win.

In other words, Alabama likely has a path to the playoffs if it wins the remaining games, but up to this point the Crimson Tide haven't looked like a CFP team. This doesn’t mean the team or its leaders are throwing in the towel. DeBoer said he still sees a lot of confidence in the locker room and Alabama players still believe they can be a playoff team.

“This is tough,” Alabama defensive lineman and captain Malachi Moore said after the game. “Today we did our best, but we just came up short. We just have to go back to the drawing board, but everything is still ahead of us. (With the) 12-team playoffs, a lot is possible. “We don't have to worry about any of that from week to week with losses, close games, etc. and we just have to win from here on out and just be brutally honest with each other and continue to do so after that strive to be great every day.”

Fifth-year defensive lineman Tim Smith said the urgency on the team is to make sure there isn't another loss. Transfer receiver Germie Bernard believes “a thousand percent” that Alabama can still make the playoffs.

“We’re Alabama,” Bernard said. “That’s the standard here. The boys are very resilient here. They want to win. The standard here is to win. We have to find ways to achieve this. We have to be critical within ourselves and just keep moving forward and be optimistic about everything.”

The fact that Tennessee fans still stormed the field at Neyland Stadium and tore down the goal posts in jubilant celebration showed how Alabama is still perceived. Despite the No. 7 ranking and previous loss, the Crimson Tide is still the standard for other programs in the SEC and across the country. Alabama's win over Georgia showed it can beat anyone, but its performance over the last three weeks has proven it is just as beatable.

As a program, Alabama has bounced back from losses and made the playoffs earlier. But this isn't the first loss for the Crimson Tide this season. The team already had a chance to bounce back from the Vanderbilt loss and they haven't done so so far.

“We get a chance to get back home, but we have to put in the work first before we play this game and find a way to take the next big leap,” DeBoer said. “You know, we now have to include a lot of players in the offensive and defensive plans, although some players have to be eliminated. You also get the opportunity now to help build depth, but we have to finish the plays. “Win now and that's where we fail. Make sure our hearts are in the right place. And then the only thing you can do is . That's what I've always done. I truly believe that if they're just talking in the locker room, that's what they'll want to do.

See also: Jalen Milroe can't provide the best moments for Alabama after the loss to Tennessee

Everything Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the win over Alabama

What Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama lost to Tennessee