All season, through the highs and the lows, the Tennessee Titans have remained atop the AFC South. A month ago, it felt like a foregone conclusion that this team would win the division, and some were even suggesting the ceiling could be higher than merely another AFC South title (not me, I would never ever…I totally knew better). But, after Sunday’s 36-22 drubbing at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the season has taken on a much different complexion. That’s three in a row dropped by the Titans, and the last two haven’t been particularly competitive, with the Jags and Philadelphia Eagles outscoring the Titans 71-32. Folks, that is almost a 40-point differential. The Titans are now 2-4 in their last six, and while last week, Mike Vrabel talked about being at a crossroads, this week, they damn sure seem like they’re flirting with disaster.
Now, in all likelihood, this team is still going to win the AFC South and host a playoff game. But, I’ll play devil’s advocate for a moment and point out that where Tennessee could’ve slammed the door shut on this division, they left it open for another week. And, what happens next week when this team travels across the country to play the Los Angeles Chargers? Each week that passes without this team icing the division, it breathes life into the Jags. Worst case scenario – this team won’t be afforded the luxury of resting guys for the playoffs if the division comes down to that Week 18 re-match with the Jags.
We shouldn’t be surprised given how this team has looked even in victory, and at this point, I feel like I sound like a broken record. If you’re reading SoBros Network to supplement your Titans coverage, then I’m sure you’re consuming all of the other good analysis from sites such as Broadway Sports Media and 440 Sports. I won’t add to the echo chamber – you guys know the offensive line sucks, the defense looks gassed and hobbled, and those issues have compounded in a way that has made the Titans look completely inept these last two weeks.
These personnel issues rear their ugly head on a weekly basis, and it drastically limits the potential of this team. Amy Adams Strunk fired general manager Jon Robinson last week because of the flailing state of the Titans roster. But, there’s not much else this franchise can do down the stretch to drastically improve. That’s where the “flirting with disaster” comes into play – Vrabel won’t fire Todd Downing. It’s been made pretty clear that Vrabel does not think that coaching has been the issue. I know options are scarce, but the fact that Dennis Daley is still starting at left tackle should indicate they see something good out of him and don’t feel a change is necessary. And who knows? Maybe firing the GM in December, with five games to go, sent the wrong message to the team…that maybe this organization was already in self-evaluation mode, punting on 2022, and looking ahead to 2023.
If you want to talk about the voodoo around this game and how a single player can exacerbate a liability, that miss by Daley that caused a fumble gave the Jags life. It swung momentum in the opposite favor, the Jags started playing with their hair on fire. The Titans couldn’t match that energy because the offense can’t run how it wants to with a porous offensive line, and the defense is constantly asked to be perfect. The result is a team that just looks mentally exhausted, and if it doesn’t find a spark, it could be the thing that costs them a shot at a playoff run.
We went from cautiously optimistic about a good defense and an offense trying to find its way to thinking this is pretty well a one-and-done team in the playoffs to “holy shit – they are actually going to make the playoffs, right?“
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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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