Music City Miracles
Heading into the fourth quarter on Sunday, it looked like the Tennessee Titans were heading for a clean sweep of 32nd in NFL power rankings this week. The only other team that was really in the conversation last week, the New Orleans Saints, had already won. But the Titans, or really the Arizona Cardinals with all of their mistakes, said “Not so fast, my friend” as they pulled off the miracle comeback. It might sound crazy to say, but if the Titans can pull off another win against the Las Vegas Raiders this week, they might pull into the mid-20s in most spots next week.
Here are where the Titans rank in various NFL power rankings around the internet:
ESPN: 31
Ridley showed promise during training camp, where he made a connection with rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Unfortunately, Ridley has only 15 receptions and no touchdowns this season. He faced a similar situation last season, with nine catches in his first five games. But, he still finished with 1,000 yards. He showed promise this Sunday after having five receptions for 131 yards, giving fantasy managers 18.1 points. Although Ridley didn’t get to the end zone, he had two impactful receptions that led to 10 of Tennessee’s fourth-quarter points. — Turron Davenport
The Athletic: 30
It took a Cam Ward interception that was fumbled and kicked into the end zone for a touchdown, but the Titans became the first team since 2019 to overcome a deficit of 18 or more points with a rookie quarterback. It wasn’t pretty, but, hey, they have their first win, and that should take some heat off of head coach Brian Callahan — at least for one week.
CBS Sports: 29
Somehow, they found a way to rally to beat Arizona in a weird game. But that’s big for head coach Brian Callahan, as he was firmly on the hot seat.
FOX Sports: 30
It took a bunch of flukey plays for the Titans to get their first win. But you know what? They still put up 212 yards and 16 points in the fourth quarter. Suddenly, they don’t look like “ass” anymore.
Yahoo Sports: 31
The Titans have to be thrilled with Sunday’s win, even if it was about as fluky as it gets. That’s OK, a win is a win for an 0-4 team that should have been trailing 28-6 in the fourth quarter in Week 5. The Titans will have to play better, but one win takes a lot of the pressure off them.
USA Today: 31
No. 1 pick Cam Ward may be a rookie, but he’ll never throw a better interception.
