After grabbing yet another ugly win in Week 2 over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans find themselves moving on up in the power rankings of USA TODAY’s Nate Davis.
Davis, who had the Titans at No. 9 last week, gives them a small boost to the No. 8 spot in his post-Week 2 power rankings. Here’s what he had to say about Tennessee’s start to the season after two games.
8. Titans (9): They’re in sole possession of first place in AFC South … yet Tennessee is also extremely fortunate it’s not currently an 0-2 football team.
It’s hard to argue with Davis’ write-up or ranking. The Titans haven’t been able to put it all together during the first two weeks of the season and have barely beaten two teams that aren’t exactly contenders.
In Week 1, it was the offense that struggled to get anything going and score points. In Week 2, Ryan Tannehill and Co. were firing on all cylinders, but Tennessee’s defense was dreadful.
Both contests ended with Stephen Gostkowski kicking a game-winning field goal near the end of regulation to give the Titans the win.
However, on the bright side, Tennessee has gotten the job done at less than 100 percent on offense and defense.
Important players like No. 1 cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, outside linebacker Vic Beasley and No. 1 wide receiver A.J. Brown have all been absent for either one or both games.
Thankfully for Tennessee’s defense, reinforcements should be coming soon. The Titans should get Jackson back after Week 3, and Beasley could boost the pass rush if he makes his debut this Sunday.
On offense, Brown is week-to-week, so he could end up siting out at least one more game. Tennessee’s third-round pick, Darrynton Evans, is another player to keep an eye on, as he has yet to make his debut and could add another element to the offense.
Bottom line: this current Titans team isn’t the finished product and should improve in the weeks to come as it gets healthier and sees Jadeveon Clowney get more acclimated.
While it isn’t a pretty 2-0, it’s 2-0 nonetheless, and now the Titans will look to start their season with three wins for the first time since 2008 against a Minnesota Vikings team that is struggling on both sides of the ball.
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