Which AFC Teams Present the Biggest Challenge for the Tennessee Titans

There are no teams in the AFC that should worry the Tennessee Titans.

I gave some serious thought to just firing up a draft, typing that sentence, and then hitting ‘publish.’ But, sometimes, I have to remind myself that just because I think something is funny doesn’t mean that everyone else will think it’s funny. Even though I’d be laughing, it would probably equate to a poor user experience, and that shit’s just not cool. So, I’m going to try and take this idea seriously and take a look around the entirety of the AFC playoff picture and offer up my list of teams that look like the biggest threats to a Titans Super Bowl. Let’s start with an obligatory ‘sorry not sorry’ to fans of the Bills, Chargers, Raiders, and Steelers. No offense, of course.

• Kansas City Chiefs – The Titans absolutely dominated the Chiefs earlier in the season, and it seems to have really sparked a turnaround in Kansas City, as they are now the primary competition for the Titans in taking the top seed in the AFC. I still think there’s something not-quite-right with Patrick Mahomes this season, and after watching NoFlags Film’s breakdown of how well Dane Cruikshank played Travis Kelce, feel like the Titans would still present match-up problems for this Chiefs offense because of their pass rush and guys being able to cover long enough for it to get home. That said, in a tight game, you never know what kind of Mahomes magic you’ll get. Nervous Scale: 6.8/10.
• New England Patriots – There’s nothing particularly flashy about this team, but they are similar to the Titans in how they can control games. I don’t doubt the Titans want another crack at New England based off of how that first game went between these two teams, but of all the teams in the playoffs, I think the Pats are the one team that can match the Titans style and go blow for blow with them. I give the Titans the edge right now, though – that roster was THIN for the first meeting and they were still competitive throughout the first half. Add some key ingredients back and the Titans should be able to play their game. Nervous scale: 5.7/10.
• Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals have a bright future in Joe Burrow and an explosive offense, and I’m not calling them frauds because I do think that if they’re on, they can hang with anyone in the league. But, based on what *has* happened this season, I don’t know how they’d fare against this elite Titans defensive front. They’ve gone 1-3 against top 10 defenses (in yards allowed). They were hammered by the Browns and lost to the Bears and 49ers. Their lone win in this discussion was a 15-10 win over the Broncos. I just don’t see them having success against this Titans defense. Nervous Scale: 3.13/10.
• Indianapolis Colts – I know people want to shrug the Colts off right now because the Titans swept them during the regular season, but I’m just listing them here because of the juju and it being hard to beat a team three times in the same season. I’m very respectful of any potential curses that might have befallen the Titans at the hands of a sorcerer within the Colts organization (also keep in mind that it was the Colts game that Derrick Henry was injured in. Coincidence?). Nervous Scale: 7.89/10 (because of the voodoo).
• Tennessee Titans – When it comes down to it, I truly believe that the Titans are the only team that can beat the Titans once the AFC playoffs start. They’ve shown that if they don’t take care of the football, they can lose to anyone in the league. If they take care of the ball and play their game, they should be the favorites to represent this conference in the Super Bowl. How much do you trust that based on how this season has gone? That may be a different discussion. Nervous Scale: 1,567.34/10.

Important context for the Nervous Scale (trademark pending): I am a generally anxious person to begin with, so you can probably knock each score down at least three points for the average person.

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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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