Tennessee Titans take a tumble in The Athletic's preseason power rankings
The Tennessee Titans were ranked No. 14 in The Athletic's end of season power rankings last winter. After some offseason improvements by general manager Jon Robinson, it would be logical to assume that Tennessee either moved up in the rankings or stayed around No. 14, right? Well……that's the not the case. The Athletic has the […]
The Tennessee Titans were ranked No. 14 in The Athletic's end of season power rankings last winter.
After some offseason improvements by general manager Jon Robinson, it would be logical to assume that Tennessee either moved up in the rankings or stayed around No. 14, right?
Well……that's the not the case.
The Athletic has the Titans ranked No. 20 in their preseason power rankings that dropped on Monday (their rankings are compiled by 10 NFL reporters and editors).
Here's what they have to say about the Nashville based franchise:
Rarely a week went by this offseason without questions from Titans fans about what to expect from Marcus Mariota, and we wish we could say that we’re excited. But mostly we’re holding our breath to see if he can stay healthy and wondering just how many games Ryan Tannehill will end up starting (assuming he, too, can stay healthy.)
They're correct about the questions surrounding Marcus Mariota — that's absolutely the biggest storyline for the Titans in 2019. But even a limited Mariota, with Blaine Gabbert serving as his backup, managed to lead Tennessee to a 9-7 record in 2018.
With the improvements the Titans made (bringing in Cam Wake, Roger Saffold, Adam Humphries), plus the return of tight end Delanie Walker, the floor for Tennessee in 2019 should be 9-7. If Mariota stays healthy, and the Titans' offseason additions pay off as expected, there's no reason Tennessee can't finish the season with 10-12 wins (the loss of offensive tackle Taylor Lewan for the first four games of the season will certainly hurt, but not enough to drop the Titans six spots).
I see absolutely no reason the Titans should've fell in The Athletic's preseason power rankings. If anything, they should've went to No. 12 or 13 (The Texans were No. 17 and the Colts were No. 6 in the rankings, the Jaguars were below Tennessee at No. 21).
The Titans definitely have the talent to make a deep playoff run in 2019. There's a good chance they make some national media outlets look silly this year.
Featured image via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
