Titans fans gifted two under the radar advantages with 2026 NFL Schedule they’ll appreciate even more 6 months from now
The Tennessee Titans 2026 schedule was released last week around all of the other NFL schedule release hoopla. Sure, Tennessee didn’t get a primetime game for the second season in a row, but this nuanced schedule gift is perfect.
Thursday the NFL Schedule Release came and went and the biggest talking point about the Tennessee Titans was around another successful man-on-the-street video on Broadway in downtown Nashville.
The second biggest talking point was how QB Cam Ward got snubbed by having zero primetime games in his second NFL season. Ward is the first number one overall QB draft pick since in nearly 40 years to go without a primetime game in his first two seasons, joining another former Miami Hurricane, Vinny Testaverde.
From my point of view, this schedule is nearly perfect. I would guess the coaching staff and front office view the Titans 2026 schedule similarly.
Titans completely balanced schedule provides several advantages
Primetime games are fun for fans. Of course, players love having all of the country focus on them in a stand-alone viewing opportunity. The NFL doesn’t do handouts any more like it did for the first decade of Thursday Night Football when all 32 teams were contractually obligated to play at least once on Thursday night each season. But now, Amazon is paying such a high dollar for those games, the league has to up the level of quality (of brand reach) for those games.
If you ask any football coach on any level, they would prefer to have the same kickoff time on the same day of the week every game of the year. Coaches love getting players into a routine, and cutting out any need to have to adjust schedules for practice, meetings, travel, training, anything logistical.
The 2026 Titans schedule is coach’s dream with 14 of the 17 games all scheduled for a Sunday at Noon CT.
Two road games are set at 3:05pm CT. The last game of the season is an optional Saturday or Sunday (because every game that week is that way).
The Titans Bye Week is Week 9 of the 18 week season. That’s as cut down the middle as it can be.
Tennessee has eight home games and nine road games this season. The NFL schedule makers did a weirdly good job of home and away rotation as the Titans start with two home games, two road games. Then home and away games flip back and forth the rest of the way, minus a back to back road spot after the bye week.
The two hidden gifts fans receive in the 2026 schedule
Here’s the point where I decided to scratch out the “nearly” in “nearly perfect” earlier.
The two road games with 3:05pm CT kickoffs could not be on the more perfect weekends.
Tennessee goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars the Sunday after Thanksgiving and to the Las Vegas Raiders the Sunday after Christmas.
Any Titans fan family travel was just presented with three free hours of extra getting back from the holiday time before the game, and the work week to follow.
You might read this now and be thinking ‘okay, sure that’s cool but not that big of a deal.’
Six months from now when you’re trying to get home from the Thanksgiving trip, getting family out of your house, or simply putting your house back together… you’ll take a deep breath and remember this May schedule gift of three extra hours.