Music City Miracles
Well, last week the Tennessee Titans moved out of the 32nd spot in a couple of the NFL power rankings after pretty solid performances against the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back weeks. This week, they should be back at 32nd across the board after laying an egg at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. I really had high hopes for Cam Ward and the offense facing the Jaguars’ defense. What a letdown!
Let’s take a look at where the Titans rank in the various week 14 NFL power rankings around the internet:
ESPN: 32
Despite missing two games, Simmons’ 6.5 sacks has him on pace for his first double-digit sack season. He leads the Titans with 29 quarterback pressures (second most among DTs in the NFL), 12 of which came against double teams. Simply put, as he goes, the Titans’ defense goes. Simmons’ ability to beat double teams allows other defensive linemen to get one-on-one matchups. And his impact extends beyond the pass rush. He’s consistently making plays behind the line of scrimmage, as shown by his 10 tackles for loss. — Turron Davenport
FOX Sports: 31(!)
A complete dud against the Jaguars and a bad game from QB Cam Ward. Good thing they can get him some help in April, when they almost certainly will have the top pick in the draft. Again.
Yahoo! Sports: 32
Here’s a list of categories in which the Titans rank 32nd in the NFL: wins, point differential, yards gained, points scored, first downs, passing touchdowns, points per drive. They’re also second-to-last in EPA (expected points added) per play and success rate on offense. The Titans’ defense is a little better but still has given up the fourth-most points and is fifth-worst in EPA per play allowed. It’s hard to keep the Raiders out of the bottom spot, but the Titans have done it. It’s a historically bad team.
PFT: 31
At least they’re getting a new stadium.
CBS Sports: 32
The No. 1 pick is coming into focus. They are bad. Really bad.
The Athletic: 32
The Titans have been bad enough that they already have a 52 percent chance of earning the No. 1 pick and are basically guaranteed a top-five pick (95 percent). The offseason can’t get here quickly enough.
The Ringer inexplicably has the Titans ranked 30th. They must not have watched this team play all year.
