The Tennessee Titans are running away with the AFC South. In fact, the defending division champions are a game away from their sixth consecutive winning season and seem to be more in play for the No. 1 overall seed.
Could the Titans be in store for a surprise winter of discontent?
According to Mike Jones of USA TODAY, the Titans are a premier team at 8-2. However, they have taken some attrition that could affect them the more the regular season winds down.
Once viewed as an area of weakness, the defense is coming on. Meanwhile, Ryan Tannehill and the rest of the offense are proving they can remain a formidable unit despite the indefinite loss of Derrick Henry. However, durability and depth are a concern, as are struggles in the secondary and along the offensive line. The Titans have 15 players on the injured reserve list and have dressed 80 different players because of rampant injuries. Can Mike Vrabel’s squad continue to absorb these blows as the year drags on?
The Houston Texans visit the Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Nissan Stadium. The Texans know they are in store for a slugfest despite the fact Henry is on injured reserve. The Titans have taken on the personality of their coach, who is a tough yet crafty individual, and linebacker Neville Hewitt knows Houston has to get their assignment and alignment correct with Tennessee’s offense.
“They move around a lot, pretty much,” said Hewitt. “If you’re not lined up right, line up correctly, not doing your job correctly, that’s how they get the big plays in the run game. That’s one of the things we are going to have to do is get lined up correctly that way we can do our jobs.”
Albeit Houston had vastly different quarterback play a year ago, the Titans needed overtime in the first meeting and a last-second field goal in the rematch to sweep the Texans. If the Texans can keep it close like 2020, they may be able to steal one and provide a blueprint for the rest of the conference to depose the Titans.