The Tennessee Titans fell further into the abyss of being one of the worst teams in the NFL in Week 17 after dropping their 11th contest of the 2023 campaign in a 26-3 defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans.
We start our power rankings round-up on the mothership, where USA TODAY’s Nate Davis has the Titans falling four spots to No. 29. Here’s Davis’ thoughts on Tennessee:
29. Tennessee Titans (25): Borrowing from last week’s thought but … two years in, pretty crazy they won’t even leverage an opportunity to potentially showcase QB Malik Willis to other teams.
I have to agree with Davis here.
With Levis sidelined in Week 16, the Titans had a chance to play Willis and give him one last look ahead of the offseason, when they’ll have to decide whether or not to keep him.
Not that anyone would have expected him to, but playing well would have helped Willis’ non-existent trade stock or, at the very least, would have given the Titans a better idea about his ability to be Levis’ backup in 2024.
Instead, the Titans opted to roll with Ryan Tannehill, who will be gone in free agency this coming offseason. Perhaps the Titans will change course in Week 18 if Levis, who is dealing with a foot injury and shouldn’t play even if healthy enough to do so, doesn’t suit up.
Now, our round-up: