Just a brutal, brutal week for the Tennessee Titans. On top of stinking up the joint in prime time on Thursday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts, the rest of the AFC seemingly decided to rise up and kick the Titans out of the playoff race.
That’s right – the Titans have gone from #1 in the AFC just a few weeks ago, to #9. Folks – they do NOT let nine teams into the playoffs. Life comes at you fast.
The AFC looks like it’s going to be a tight race to the finish. Let’s start at the top – the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs look like they are clearly the two best teams in the NFL right now. The Titans played the Steelers well in the second half of their contest, so that might instill a little bit of confidence, but the first half was a disaster. Still, at their absolute best, the Titans can hang with the Steelers. The Chiefs? I don’t know – I don’t know that this defense can slow down Patrick Mahomes.
The Buffalo Bills are right there ranked third in the AFC, and the Titans absolutely trounced ’em back on Tuesday Night Covid Football. The Bills seem to be running hot and cold in 2020, but I think they clearly belong in the playoff fold. They’re beatable, but they’ll be there come season’s end.
Then, there’s the surging Colts, who seemed to figure out their offense against the Titans last Thursday night. Though their records are the same, if you look at both of these teams and tell me the Colts AREN’T clearly the better team, you are lying to yourself. Bye Felicia. The Titans have some serious work to do, but the good news is that they get their second crack at the Colts the week after Sunday’s game against the Ravens. We’ll know in a couple of weeks whether or not the Titans can get right and reclaim the AFC South.
Then, there’s a logjam in the wild card positions – the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens currently hold spots #5-7. The Cleveland Browns are just outside the playoff picture at #8. I actually think all of those teams except for the Ravens are playing some damn good football right now, and are probably the rightful playoff teams. The Ravens – yeesh….they’re in a similar position to the Titans. Started hot, had high expectations going into the season, but things just aren’t clicking like they were a year ago. The Ravens may be in trouble.
But, that gets us to our #9 spot, occupied by our beloved Titans. What started as 5-0 quickly turned to 1-3. Life comes at you fast. But, I’ve been saying on The Unofficial Titans Podcast all season long that the way they were winning games wasn’t sustainable. There’s some real concern on defense, and until those issues, and the issues on special teams, are cleaned up, it’s hard for me to call this a contender any longer.
The question is whether or not what we’ve seen over the last month is what the Titans are, or if they can correct things and become the team we know they can be. I don’t know if the issues plaguing this team are easily remedied right now, though – do they need a true defensive coordinator? What is wrong with Stephen Gostkowski? Why isn’t the offense clicking the way it was early on in the season? How do they compensate for losing Taylor Lewan and stretching their o-line depth thin? How quickly can Brett Kern come back? Why are corners lining up 10 yards downfield even after the Titans cut Johnathan Joseph? Where is the pass rush? Where is Kevin Byard?
Honestly, it feels like a team that is just on the brink of a total free fall. With games against the Ravens, Colts, and Browns on deck, the Titans’ season is on the line right here right now. They have to get it right, or this competitive AFC field will pass them by in no time, and that 5-0 start will be a complete afterthought.
And, by the way, let’s not rule out the New England Patriots just yet. They’re sitting there at 4-5, but they put themselves back into the hunt with the run game and knocking off the Ravens on Sunday Night Football. They ain’t dead yet.
Somehow, some way, this team is going to find a way to end up in yet another Week 17 “win and you’re in” scenario. They’ll get to 9-7, and then go get slaughtered by Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Doesn’t it just feel like it’s going to be that kind of season?
I’m sorry, Titans fans – if you can’t tell, I’m really pessimistic about how this season has turned. Silver lining: at least we survived the Ken Whisenhunt era.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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