These are the three keys to victory for the Tennessee Titans as they head to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round.
The Tennessee Titans capped of their magical season by clinching a berth in the Wild Card round against the defending champion New England Patriots. Behind Derrick Henry’s power running, the Titans won handily against a resting Houston Texans team in Week 17.
After starting the season 2-4 behind incumbent starter Marcus Mariota, the Titans finished the season an impressive 7-3 with backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill taking over for the offense. With Tannehill under center, the Titans’ offense has been firing on all cylinders.
Tannehill finished top three in the league in completion percentage and first in passer rating this season, while Henry lead the league in rushing yards and tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns. Rookie wideout A.J. Brown broke a 1,000 yards receiving and scored 8 touchdowns.
While Tennessee’s offense has flipped the switch, the defense has taken a turn due to injuries.
The Titans started the season strong as a top 10 scoring defense, holding teams to under 20 points in the first six games. However, the Titans finished 12th in scoring defense despite that start due to their mounting injuries.
The absence of Malcolm Butler and Adoree’ Jackson has hurt the secondary, and Kenny Vaccaro, Jurrell Casey, Jeffrey Simmons, and Jayon Brown all missed time. While the Titans won’t get back Butler, the return of Jackson should help bolster the team’s ability to stop opposing passing attacks.
The Titans are fortunate to face a reeling Patriots team that has lost three out of the last five games, ending the season with a confounding loss to the Miami Dolphins that dropped them out of a bye in the playoffs.
Here are the three keys to ensure the Titans make it to the divisional round twice out of the last three seasons.