Tennessee Titans: 3 takeaways from Week 16 loss to Saints

There were three major takeaways from the Tennessee Titans’ 38-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Tennessee Titans suffered their second straight defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. As obvious as it is to say that you want to win every single game in the NFL, thanks to some bizarre scenario, the Titans had the luxury of being in an unprecedented situation in which the team played in a relatively meaningless game in the grand scheme of things.

The Titans took advantage of this opportunity by leaving some of their hobbled players on the sideline to prevent aggravating an injury in a game that likely will have no real effect on the team’s playoff implications.

That list of players included star running back Derrick Henry, who was a full participant at practice and was completely off the injury report until the Texans clinched the division. The Titans made the subsequent decision to let Henry rest his lingering hamstring injury for a crucial Week 17 that will ultimately decide the fate of the Titans’ season.

This unusual opportunity that presented itself this weekend could prove to be vital for a potential playoff run, as the team will seemingly have the most fresh and healthy version of Henry that the team has had in weeks.

As unfortunate as it is that the team suffered another defeat, meaning 9-7 will be the best that the Titans can finish for the fourth consecutive year, the ultimate goal is not to finish with double-digit wins; It’s to find a way into the 12-team single elimination tournament in January.

With all that said, here are three of the main takeaways following the Titans’ Week 16 loss to the Saints.