Well, it’s not the Super Bowl week that fans of the Tennessee Titans were hoping for this year. After finishing the season as the top seed in the AFC, the Titans were bounced by the very Cincinnati Bengals who will be taking the field opposite the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI. Titans fans here in Nashville may not quite feel like rooting for either team on Sunday. But, there are a few players of local interest taking the stage that they can root for and still feel like they’re getting the sense of local pride that comes with your team making the big game. Okay, I know it’s not the same thing…but you get my point.
Players of Local Interest in Super Bowl LVI
Brycen Hopkins, Rams TE – Hopkins may be third on the depth chart, but the former Ensworth standout does have a 100% catch percentage. That’s right – Hopkins caught one ball on one target this season (but it was for a first down). He played in five games for the Rams this season.
Van Jefferson, Rams WR – The Ravenwood product has carved out a nice role in this potent Rams offense. He was second on the team in receiving yards this season, posting 802 yards behind Cooper Kupp‘s monstrous 1,947-yard season. The longest reception of the season for the Rams belongs to Jefferson, who took one 79 yards for a touchdown in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Jalen Ramsey, Rams CB – Ramsey has gone from Brentwood Academy to one of the premiere cornerbacks in the NFL. Some folks might not like his brash style, but Ramsey is absolutely one that can back it up. He will have his hands full with this Bengals receiving corps on Sunday, but if any corner can shadow those guys, it’s Ramsey.
Quinton Spain, Bengals LG – Okay, so if you’re a Titans fan that practically lives on Twitter like me, you’re probably not going to be rooting for Spain on Sunday. After the Bengals sent the Titans into their offseason, Spain took to Twitter to mouth off about Jeffery Simmons in a couple of bizarre tweets (one of which has been deleted). We still don’t know what that was about and likely never will, but it didn’t go over that well with a Titans fan base that probably would’ve been rooting for a guy who had some good years in Nashville otherwise. Spain was undrafted in 2015, and won the starting left guard position by 2016, where he played through 2018. He would then go on to sign with the Buffalo Bills in 2019 and the Bengals in 2020.
I write this piece every year, and usually, it’s littered with former Titans. However, this year, it was a different story. Spain is the only former Titan to be taking the field on Sunday.
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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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