It was a sudden turnaround for the Tennessee Titans, who tripled their win total from the previous season and surprised many by tying Houston for the AFC South title in 2016. They lost the tie-breaker, extending their string of playoff-less seasons to eight. However, there is reason for optimism in the Music City. Their franchise quarterback has recovered from a busted leg and they added some talented receivers in the draft to make the offense more explosive. Now, the Titans are ready to challenge the big boys in the AFC.
AFC Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +190
Pittsburgh Steelers +675
Oakland Raiders +700
Kansas City Chiefs +1000
Houston Texans +1200
Denver Broncos +1300
Indianapolis Colts +1500
Baltimore Ravens +1700
Tennessee Titans +2000
Cincinnati Bengals +2300
Miami Dolphins +2500
Los Angeles Chargers +3500
Jacksonville Jaguars +3500
Buffalo Bills +4500
Cleveland Browns +15000
New York Jets +15000
Key Players for Winning the AFC
Marcus Mariota – The Titans had the third-best rushing attack in the NFL last season but their biggest weapon on the offensive side of the ball is Mariota. The second overall pick in 2015 built off his solid rookie season and is everything Tennessee expected when they drafted him. Mariota threw for close to 3,500 yards and 26 touchdowns while completing 61.2 percent of his throws. He tossed one fewer pick last year in 46 more attempts, and an improved line cut his sack total from 38 two years ago to just 23 last season. The knock against Mariota, though, is his durability. For the second straight year he failed to finish the season after getting injured. He sustained a knee injury his rookie season and played just 12 games. Last year he broke his leg in the next to last game. Mariota has proven to be a lethal quarterback in his short career and keeping him on the field is a priority if the Titans are going to do anything come playoff time.
Corey Davis – Without an established No. 1 receiver, Mariota still became the first Titans QB in five years to throw for over 3,000 yards. Throwing the football isn’t a staple of Mike Mularkey’s offense, but you still have to do it and be successful to win. To help out in the passing game the Titans used their first pick in the draft on Davis, who was selected fifth overall. At 6-3 and 210 pounds, Davis has all the traits of a No. 1 receiver. He played in relative obscurity at Western Michigan until his senior year. That’s when the Broncos had an undefeated regular season and Davis became the FBS all-time leader in receiving yards. He tied for the FBS lead with 19 touchdown catches last year, totaling 97 receptions for 1,500 yards, and he gives the offense a weapon it hasn’t had in some time.
Offensive Line – A major reason for the turnaround was the play of the line, which went from a big question mark in 2015 to a major strong point last year. Mularkey’s physical style of play was evident with this group, which allowed DeMarco Murray to scoot for 1,297 yards and the team to place third with nearly 137 yards per game. Mariota also had a tidy pocket when throwing the football and was sacked just 23 times with the group surrendering a total of 28. And the good news for the skill guys is that the entire line returns, anchored by Pro Bowl tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin. The interior came together nicely with center Ben Jones and guards Quinton Spain and Josh Kline. And the Titans have some depth at the position, which should allow the starters to take a blow every once in a while and is important when injuries occur.
Logan Ryan – The weak link last year was the secondary and Mularkey blew it up during the offseason. The Titans had the third-worst pass defense in the league allowing 269 yards per game and the group will be completely different in 2017. Ryan is the key piece. He comes over from New England as a free agent and will own one corner spot. He started the last two seasons for the Pats and led all corners with 92 tackles last year. He also had a pair of interceptions and 11 pass breakups to go along with a sack and a forced fumble. It’s up to Ryan to prove that he’s not just a product of the New England system and can handle being the top cover corner. If he succeeds, the Titans will be that much better defensively which should allow them to come out ahead in some of the closer games.
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