Tennessee has finished above .500 for six consecutive seasons, including playoff appearances in the last three years under coach Mike Vrabel. Last year they managed to secure the AFC's top seed and with it a first-round bye before shockingly losing in overtime to the AFC champion Bengals, 19-16. What made last year's performance that much more unexpected was the loss of all-world running back Derrick Henry midway through the season with a foot injury. He managed to return for the playoffs but wasn't the same dynamic player who nearly ru shed for 1,000 yards in the season's first eight games.
Now the Titans look like a team headed backwards in 2022. They traded emerging star wide receiver A.J. Brown on draft night, though they bolstered the position with veteran Robert Woods and rookie first-round pick Treylon Burks. The key to Tennessee's success might be quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was miserable against Cincinnati and arguably cost them a trip to the AFC Championship Game with his performance. The Titans drafted Malik Willis in the third round as a potential heir apparent to Tannehill, but considering how raw the former Liberty signal caller is, it's unlikely he'll be able to make an impact this season.
Interestingly, Tennessee plays primary division rival Indianapolis twice in the first seven weeks and a season sweep might go a long way towards their third consecutive division title. Being that they're playing a first-place schedule, road games at Buffalo, Kansas City, Gre en Bay, Philadelphia, and the LA Chargers are among the league's most difficult quintet.'
Unless Henry can rush for 2,000 yards once again as he did in 2020, it's likely the Titans will struggle to achieve double-digit wins for the third season in a row. For four consecutive seasons, from 2016-2019, the Titans went 9-7. The oddsmakers list 9.5 as the Titans win total, though the Over is plus-money. The +140 division odds seem too short despite the presence of usual bottom-feeders Houston and Jacksonville in the AFC South. Quite possibly the best bet for Tennessee would be for them to miss the playoffs in a loaded AFC at +110.
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