Did the Tennessee Titans overachieve or reach their potential in 2021? That’s a big question that needs to be answered to determine where they might end up this season. The Titans had a marvelous last season winning 12 games to go over their projected total, claiming the AFC South title and the top-seed in the AFC overall. With back to back season of at least 11 wins and six consecutive seasons winning at least nine games, the Titans have to be considered among the elite in the AFC.
Despite winning their most games in two decades, oddsmakers aren’t particularly high on the Titans with their 2022 win total set at nine games. Their divisional round playoff loss to Cincinnati put QB Ryan Tannehill squarely in the spotlight even though he owns a 30-13 record as a starter since joining the club in 2019. The Titans overcame the midseason loss of Derrick Henry proving they are a well-balanced team and a threat once again in the conference.
Tennessee Titans 2022 Regular Season Win Total Odds
Titans Over 9 Wins -102
Titans Under 9 Wins -118
The Titans are a hard-nosed group in the mold of their head coach Mike Vrabel. They’ve been able to plug in free agent signees and draft picks without missing a beat and they turned the career of Tannehill around after acquiring the former first round pick from Miami. Relying on a punishing ground game that ranked among the top-5 in each of the past three seasons, Tannehill put together some impressive numbers not being the focal point of the offense. That changed in 2021, though, when Henry was shelved with a foot injury eight games into the campaign.
When most felt the team would suffer without the two-time rushing leader, Tannehill and the rest of the club stepped up winning six of the last nine games. The QB completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 1,732 yards in that span. Playing in just those eight games Henry finished ninth in the NFL with 937 rushing yards and 10 TDs. There was a huge loss with the departure of receiver A.J. Brown, who led the team with 63 receptions, nearly twice as many as the next closest player. Couple the loss of Brown with an unstable line and the pressure mounts on Tannehill and Henry.
The Titans were solid defensively last season giving up just over 20 points per game to rank sixth, which was a huge improvement from 2020 when they placed near the bottom. One area of concern was their pass defense, which ranked 25th and yielded 348 yards in the air to Joe Burrow in the playoff game. The group returns virtually intact with EDGE Jeffery Simmons and FS Kevin Byard two of the best in the business.
2022 Tennessee Titans Schedule
Week 1: vs. New York Giants, Sunday, September 11, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 2: at Buffalo Bills, Monday, September 19, 7:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Week 3: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, September 25, 1 p.m. ET
Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, October 2, 1 p.m. ET
Week 5: at Washington Commanders, Sunday, October 9, 1 p.m. ET
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, October 23, 1 p.m. ET
Week 8: at Houston Texans, Sunday, October 30, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, November 6, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos, Sunday, November 13, 1 p.m. ET
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers, Thursday, November 17, 8:15 p.m. ET (PRIME)
Week 12: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, November 27, 1 p.m. ET
Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, December 4, 1 p.m. ET
Week 14: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, December 11, 1 p.m. ET
Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, December 18, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 16: vs. Houston Texans, Saturday, December 24, 1 p.m. ET
Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, December 29, 8:15 p.m. ET (PRIME)
Week 18: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, January 8 (TBA)
It’s been a relatively quiet offseason, but with pieces in place there is no need to make a big splash. The Titans have been one of the most consistent clubs over the last six seasons winning at least nine games every year. The division appears to be a two-team race with Houston and Jacksonville not expected to do much during their rebuilds. Three of the last five games come against those clubs leaving the Titans in a good spot to exceed their win total. Tannehill has been a beast during the regular season with the Titans winning nearly 70 percent of the games he starts. And the QB is playing this season with a chip on his shoulder after throwing up on himself in last season’s playoff loss to the Bengals.
Quick Pick
They don’t have a bunch of superstars, they aren’t flashy, but the Titans win a lot of games. It’s safe to say they are among the NFL’s elite and to a man they are using the playoff loss as motivation heading into the year. They have a balanced offense and a defense that could be better than last season putting another double-digit win season as a near certainty.
NFL Pick: Tennessee Titans OVER 9 Wins
