Where the Tennessee Titans rank statistically within the NFL

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Mike Mularkey of the Tennessee Titans looks on in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Mike Mularkey of the Tennessee Titans looks on in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Titans are 4-3. Do the numbers tell that same story?

At 4-3, the Tennessee Titans are arguably where many predicted them to be. It hasn’t exactly unfolded the way a lot of people might’ve thought it would, but the Titans are currently the division leader and have a bye week to get healthy and iron out the kinks on offense and defense.

While numbers/statistics don’t always tell the full story, they are usually strong descriptors of a team’s success, whether good or bad. It’s arguably more important to trust your eyes when it comes to evaluating a team’s performance, but having data to back up analysis is crucial.

In my eyes, the Titans have been an enigma so far this season. This is how I would describe each game the Titans have played in 2017.

Week 1 vs. Raiders: Okay loss
Week 2 at Jaguars: Great win
Week 3 vs. Seahawks: Great win
Week 4 at Texans: All-time bad loss
Week 5 at Dolphins: Bad loss
Week 6 vs. Colts: Good win
Week 7 at Browns: Bad win

By my not-so-expert-analysis-driven calculations, the Titans have had two great wins, a good win and a bad win, to go along with one okay loss and two bad losses. Argue with me if you will, but the Titans haven’t looked all that great to start this season, although they haven’t looked terrible either.

Let’s see where the Titans rank in statistical categories for teams in the NFL.

More from Titan Sized

Total Offense (326.4 yards per game): 18th
Total Offense (22.6 points per game): 13th
Total Offense (5 passing touchdowns): 30th
Total Offense (9 rushing touchdowns): 1st

As you can see, the Titans offense is a middling unit. They’ve moved the ball somewhat well, but their inability to score touchdowns through the air is hurting them.

Total Defense (329.6 yards allowed per game): 16th
Total Defense (24.7 points allowed per game): 27th
Total Defense (11.0 sacks): 30th
Total Defense (7 interceptions): 8th
Total Defense (6 forced fumbles): 15th

Once again, the Titans show up near the middle or bottom-half of the league, this time on defense. The Titans have had the luxury of playing against the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns over the past two weeks, which has allowed for these numbers to inflate a bit.

Now let’s look at arguably the two most important team statistics, which usually separate the actual playoff contenders from the pretenders.

Points Differential (-15): 23rd
Giveaway/Takeaway Differential (Zero): 15th

The points differential is ballooned because of a brutal 57-14 loss to the Houston Texans, but every game counts. If it wasn’t clear enough before, these last two statistics should tell you all you need to know: The Tennessee Titans are just an average football team.

There is certainly room for improvement, and almost everyone is expecting the Titans to come out of the bye week as a different team, but the results thus far this season have been suboptimal. The Titans must get better in a lot of areas, but they’ve at least given themselves some time and a bit of a cushion to figure it all out.