With the Tennessee Titans’ regular season beginning this Sunday, our staff made its predictions for the team’s 2019 campaign.
The 2019 NFL Season is finally here, and it’s about that time for our staff to make their predictions for the Tennessee Titans.
Here’s what each of our co-experts and contributors think will happen this season.
Will Lomas (Co-expert)
The Tennessee Titans are the most talented team in the AFC South by a fairly wide margin if you hold every position as equal. The problem is that Marcus Mariota has the potential to be great, but until we see him play a full season you have to imagine that some of the games will be played by Ryan Tannehill.
Being as pragmatic as possible, I think the Titans should win 75 percent of their games with a healthy Marcus Mariota, and Tannehill is good enough to go .500 with this roster.
Realistically I would imagine sweeps of the Jaguars (like always) and Colts (like always under Jacoby Brissett), and a split with the Texans. After five AFC South wins, game against the Broncos, Bills, Bucs, and Raiders seem like they should go the Titans way, so all they have to do is win two of the other six games on the schedule.
Record prediction: 11-5 (1st in AFC South)
Michael Moraitis (Co-expert)
The Tennessee Titans invested a lot in the offensive line this offseason, and it will keep Mariota upright and healthy, allowing him to play a full 16-game slate. From there, Mariota and an improved group of pass-catchers will help build leads, allowing the rushing attack and an elite defense to finish games.
There are just so many avenues to 10 wins on the schedule. Every team in the division is weaker, and the AFC South will be good for at least four wins for Tennessee. The Titans proved they can beat great teams last season, and they’ll do so again in 2019 at least once against the likes of either the Chiefs, Saints or Chargers.
The Titans have seven winnable to should-win games against the Browns, Bucs, Panthers, Raiders, Falcons, Bills and Broncos. Once the aforementioned scenarios play out, the Titans need five wins out of this group — and I think it happens en route to a division title.
Record prediction: 10-6 (1st in AFC South)
John Lowell (Contributor)
The Tennessee Titans go 10-6 in 2019, finally hitting double-digit wins after a three-year stretch at 9-7 in each season. Thanks to the retiring of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, and the potential demise of the Houston Texans, the Titans remain an under-the-radar sleeper, with enough to survive an extremely difficult schedule.
Defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, leads a top-5 defense, and the Titans’ run game carries the offense. Quarterback Marcus Mariota steps up to the plate, and produces his best season since his sophomore campaign in 2016.
General manager Jon Robinson will have a near-impossible decision to make at the end of the year, adding to the ambiguity of the Titans’ franchise. The good news? The boys make the playoffs in 2019.
Record prediction: 10-6 (1st in AFC South)
Shaun Calderon (Contributor)
There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic as a Tennessee Titans fan going into 2019. On paper, this is the best team the Titans have had in years.
However, it will once again depend on the health of Marcus Mariota. If the former second-overall pick is able to stay healthy for all 16 games, this season could be special.
I’m going to remain optimistic in my prediction and say that Mariota finally plays an entire season while putting up numbers similar to his 2016 campaign. Pair that with an insanely-talented defense, and I believe this will be the year the Titans finally regain their spot as the King of the AFC South.
Record prediction: 11-5 (1st in AFC South)
Ravi Konjeti (Contributor)
The Tennessee Titans have taken strides to boost their roster this season with some astute additions in the offseason to fill holes on the offensive front and in the receiving corps.
However, the Titans schedule goes through the Saints, Chargers, and Chiefs, who are all vying for a Super Bowl berth this season. The Titans out-of-division games against the Falcons, Broncos, Raiders, and Buccaneers will dictate whether this team goes 6-10 or 10-6.
The Titans need to also be wary of in-division teams. The Titans struggled last season with a 3-3 record against division opponents. While the departure of quarterback Andrew Luck should help the Titans split the series against the Colts, the Jaguars and Texans both boast stronger rosters than last season. Improving the division record will require the Titans to win in the trenches with their offensive and defensive lines.
Record prediction: 8-8 (tied 2nd in AFC South)