The Tennessee Titans' 3 Biggest Advantages Entering the Playoffs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans are set to play their first game of the postseason on Saturday against the Bengals. As the Titans enter the playoffs, they have three major advantages that give them a legitimate chance at making a Super Bowl run. 1. Their Playoff Experience Multiple Titans players and coaches have avoided […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans are set to play their first game of the postseason on Saturday against the Bengals.
As the Titans enter the playoffs, they have three major advantages that give them a legitimate chance at making a Super Bowl run.
1. Their Playoff Experience
Multiple Titans players and coaches have avoided proclaiming the advantages of having playoff experience, likely for fear of overlooking the importance of actually performing well in and winning the games.
"I think we have had some guys that have played in playoff games and won in playoff games. What it really comes down to is executing and being able to maintain focus throughout the game," head coach Mike Vrabel said.
Teams with playoff experience do, however, carry a very real advantage into the postseason.
That advantage isn't about emotions or confidence. Rather, it's about goals.
Often, teams that make the postseason for the first time in a while carry an attitude of "we're just glad to be here."
They don their "division champions" hats and t-shirts with great pride. Then, when the playoff games start, they feel as though their mission has already been accomplished.
Not the Titans.
For them, it won't be "mission accomplished" until they hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
"In my opinion, with the type of team we have, the guys we have, the coaches, not winning the Super Bowl would be a disappointment," safety Kevin Byard said.
As a result of that attitude, they'll be completely locked in when they take the field on Saturday and beyond. They'll be on a mission.
2. Their Four-Man Pass Rush
Consistently getting pressure with just four rushers makes life miserable for a quarterback, as Ryan Tannehill knows all too well.
"If they can collapse the pocket and get pressure with four, then there are more guys in coverage and theoretically it is harder to complete the ball downfield," the Titans QB said.
That's exactly what the Titans' four-man pass rush has done to quarterbacks in 2021.
The quartet of Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons, Bud Dupree and Denico Autry has arguably been the NFL's most consistently disruptive group of rushers so far this season.
As a result, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen rarely has to blitz and, instead, gets to leave seven players in coverage.
Entering the playoffs, that's a major advantage for the Titans, especially as they get set to face Bengals QB Joe Burrow.
Burrow plays with a ton of swagger and confidence, and the Titans must disrupt that. Getting pressure without blitzing will be Key No. 1 to that disruption.
"I think that's the goal this week, trying to affect him, because he is playing with a lot of confidence, and he has a reason for it," DL Jeffery Simmons said.
More likely than not, Tennessee will be able to deliver that pressure.
3. Their Offensive Weapons
At one point in the Titans' Week 11 loss to the Texans, Tannehill lined up in an empty formation with a very underwhelming group of receivers split out wide: RB Dontrell Hilliard, WR Racey McMath, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, TE Anthony Firkser and WR Chester Rogers.
In the playoffs, Tannehill won't have that problem.
After struggling with injuries all throughout the regular season, the Titans are finally nearing full strength and, for the first time since October, they'll have their full throttle of offensive weapons available.
That means Tannehill, now, gets to throw to A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, and he'll get to hand the ball off to Derrick Henry.
"There is definitely a confidence boost just knowing what we have out there and the capabilities we have," Tannehill said on Tuesday.
The Titans' offseason trade for Jones was billed, by Jones, as a move that would give Tennessee a "pick your poison" offensive attack. Defenses wouldn't be able to key in on any one player for fear of letting another run free.
Because of injuries, though, the Titans have yet to really be able to deploy that style of an attack outside of their Week Seven win over the Chiefs.
That should change in the postseason.
Brown is healthy and explosive as ever. Henry figures to return after missing two months. Jones' hamstring hasn't been an issue in a few weeks, and he emerged as a real threat for the Titans in their Week 18 win over Houston.
Those three weapons, along with Titans' other key offensive pieces, will present a big challenge to teams coming to Nashville in January.
- Henry image: Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today
- Simmons image: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today
