Tennessee Titans: Ranking the Titans' potential playoff opponents
The NFL’s regular season has officially come to a close and the field for the playoffs has been finalized with the Tennessee Titans in the best possible position. The Titans (12-5) enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time since 2008 and just the third time since the […]
The NFL’s regular season has officially come to a close and the field for the playoffs has been finalized with the Tennessee Titans in the best possible position. The Titans (12-5) enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time since 2008 and just the third time since the franchise moved to Tennessee. By finishing at the top of the conference, the Titans will receive a bye for the AFC Wild Card Round before returning to action in the Divisional Round. After the Wild Card Round, the teams in the AFC will be reseeded and the Titans will be set to take on the lowest remaining seed in two weeks at Nissan Stadium.
Below are rankings of teams the Titans would most like to see as their opponents in the AFC Divisional Round.
1. Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) – No. 5 seed
How this matchup happens: The No. 5 Raiders defeat the No. 4 Bengals, the No. 3 Bills defeat the No. 6 Patriots, and the No. 2 Chiefs defeat the No. 7 Steelers.
Raiders QB Derek Carr is coming off of the best regular season of his career. However, the cast of pass catchers Carr has available to him will not strike fear into many secondaries across the NFL. WR Hunter Renfrow and TE Darren Waller are the only real threats in the Raiders passing game. Couple the lack of talent on the outside with the 29th ranked rushing attack and that puts a lot of pressure on a Raiders defense that is giving up 25.8 points per game.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) – No. 7 seed
How this matchup happens: The No. 7 Steelers defeat the No. 2 Chiefs.
The Steelers snuck into the playoffs after securing an overtime win on the road at the Baltimore Ravens while the Indianapolis Colts (9-8) choked their season away by succumbing to the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14) by the score of 26-11. While Pittsburgh did beat the Titans in Week 15, it was with the help of the Titans, who turned the ball over four times. The Steelers had and still have many questions about their offense.
QB Ben Roethlisberger is in what is expected to be his final NFL season and his age is showing itself on a weekly basis. At age 39, Big Ben has the mobility of a lamp and has proven he is unable to orchestrate much of anything down the field. He ranks 28th among quarterbacks with just 6 yards per attempt. The NFL’s sack leader T.J. Watt (21.5) and the Steelers defense would need to dominate the turnover battle again in order to knock off the Titans on the road for the second time this season.
3. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7) – No. 4 seed
How this matchup happens: The No. 4 Bengals defeat the No. 5 Raiders, the No. 2 Chiefs defeat the No. 7 Steelers, and the No. 3 Bills defeat the No. 6 Patriots.
The Bengals would not exactly be an ideal matchup for the Titans, but they could do a whole lot worse. QB Joe Burrow has thrown for an ungodly 971 yards and eight touchdowns in his last two games. That is not a typo.
Burrow and rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase have carried over the college chemistry and reconstructed the culture in Cincinnati. Chase set the Bengals' franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie with 1,455 and 13 touchdowns.
The Bengals are also strong against the run as they wrap up the regular season ranking fifth in run defense, which could pose a problem for the Titans. DE Trey Hendrickson has been a large part of the success Cincinnati has found on the defensive side of the ball with 14 sacks on the season. However, the Bengals leave much to be desired in pass defense, which is where the Titans could lean on A.J. Brown and Julio Jones to make plays down the field.
No. 5 New England Patriots (9-8) – No. 6 seed
How this matchup happens: The No. 6 Patriots defeat the No. 3 Bills and the No. 2 Chiefs defeat No. 7 Steelers.
The Patriots are clearly the least desirable matchup for the Titans in the AFC Divisional Round. New England knocked off a weary Tennessee team in Week 12 that was hampered by injuries and limping into the bye week. Head coach Bill Belichick and his Patriots team took advantage of four Titans turnovers en route to a 36-13 win in Foxborough.
Not only do the Patriots employ the most dominant coach in NFL history in Belichick who has six Super Bowl rings to his name, but they also possess the stingiest defense in the NFL allowing opponents to 16.9 PPG on the year. However, rookie QB Mac Jones has shown holes in his game. By scoring early, the Titans could put the youngster in an uncomfortable position, by forcing him to come from behind in a hostile environment in the playoffs.
Featured image courtesy of Thomas Shea – USA TODAY Sports
