Wild Titans predictions.
The wait is over for Tennessee Titans fans and the 2020 NFL season finally kicks off in (God, I can’t believe I finally get to say this) in less than one week.
But the start of football season, as it does every year, marks the end of another, slightly less exciting season– baseless speculation season.
For the most part, projections have been made, opinions from the experts have been heard, Super Bowl bets are in and postseason awards have already been decided– still, before anyone of us has seen one live snap of football from any of these teams.
But I’m not one to talk, and let’s face it, you aren’t either. For as silly as it can be to go through and project final records, playoff births, and eventual Super Bowl Champions before the season even starts– the allure to trying to figure it all out, to trying to be right, is too much for most football fans to ignore, myself included.
If we’re here to lean into preseason predictions, we might as well go big. You can go anywhere on the internet for projections on the Tennessee Titans season and individual players, but what you’re in for here is a step above all that.
Here, we’re throwing reality and rationality to the wind and letting fan brains take over. Here, we’re going to try and project why the Titans’ biggest stars can reach impossible stats, bring home impressive hardware, and what all of that would mean for the team in 2020. Here, we’re breaking down the biggest, boldest, possibly dumbest predictions for the 2020 Tennessee Titans.
Ryan Tannehill Finishes Top Two In Passing TDs
Passing volume is not the same as passing efficiency.
Say it again, this time, with feeling.
Passing volume is not the same as passing efficiency.
Getting that one out of the way, just in case the “yeah but the Titans don’t throw the ball” Tannehill detractors manage to get their hands on this. With that note in mind, let’s dig into the numbers and talk about why this bold prediction could actually become a reality.
Tannehill’s numbers in 2019 speak for themselves, and chances are, I don’t need to rehash them (but if you want to take a look, here you go). But the Sparknotes version is this: deadly accurate, incredible in passer rating and yards per attempt, second in the NFL in touchdown percentage. All leading to a 22 touchdown season in just ten starts.
If Tannehill played a full 16-game schedule and was able to keep his efficiency the same for that entire stretch– Ryan Tannehill would have thrown for 35 touchdowns, second place in the league, behind only reigning MVP Lamar Jackson.
You don’t need me to tell you that 35 touchdowns in one year is impressive, same for 22 in ten games. What’s even more impressive, however, is how Tannehill got to that number.
Being traded in from the Dolphins as a backup, having no prior experience with the offense or the roster, sitting on the bench for six weeks, and coming in midseason looking like one of the best players in the league? Now that’s impressive, and that’s why Tannehill can do it again this year.
Even if he regresses a bit as a player, he will still have things working in his favor that he didn’t in 2019. Chemistry with his pass-catchers, an offseason worth of reps as the QB1, and a heightened familiarity with Arthur Smith’s schemes– plus a full 16-games to pad his stats.
The Titans had Ryan Tannehill throwing touchdowns on 7.7% of his passes last year, and if he can get around that number again, he’ll be sitting atop the NFL in touchdowns.
Derrick Henry Breaks 2,000 Rushing Yards
Now for a really fun one.
The NFL hasn’t seen a 2,000-yard rusher since Adrian Peterson hit that mark in 2012. But the Titans have their own history of running backs in the 2,000-yard club when Chirs Johnson hit the mark in 2009. And for as crazy as it might sound, Derrick Henry might be able to join him in 2020.
Similar to projecting Ryan Tannehill’s 2020 touchdown total, for Henry, you have to look at the final 10 weeks of the 2019 season to get the full idea of what he might be capable of in 2020. While the Tennessee offense looked lost at sea through the first six games, things changed in a hurry when Tannehill took over– Henry’s performance included.
The Henry of Week 7 onward looked like an entirely different player than he did from weeks one through six.
In his first six games, he managed just 69.3 yards per game, 3.68 yards per rush, and four touchdowns on 113 carries, but his final nine regular-season showings were a renaissance.
When Tannehill took over the offense in Week 7, Henry turned into the Tractorcito we all know and love. The player that averaged 124.9 yards per game, 5.92 yards per run and 12 touchdowns on 190 carries.
Stretched over a full 16-games, Henry’s 124.9 yards per game would have put him just two yards shy of 2,000.
But in 2020, Henry will (hopefully) be getting 16 starts in a Tannehill led offense, the same offense that saw him flourish in 2019. The Titans showed their willingness to lean on Henry in the playoffs when he averaged over 27 carries a game, so volume shouldn’t be a question, especially without an experienced RB2 on the roster.
The real concern is whether or not Henry can match that insane production from 2019 this season. But with the offense that unlocked Henry’s potential still intact going into 2020, there should be a reason for hope that Henry could reach this impossible goal.
Maybe don’t go betting on this one, but they’re called “bold predictions” for a reason.
Kevin Byard Leads NFL In INTs
Okay, so, they can’t all be “nuclear-level” takes– but anytime you’re projecting a league leader in an individual category, it should still be thought of as bold if nothing else.
But for a player as talented and as ball-hawking as Byard, finishing towards the top of the league in interceptions is starting to feel more like the expectation than an anomaly. After leading the NFL in picks in 2017 with eight, he placed in the top ten with four in 2018, and jumped back in the top five in 2019 with five– one away from tying for the league lead.
And heading into 2020, Byard has the roster and team schedule that should give him a chance to lead the NFL in picks once again. Quarterbacks can try to avoid throwing near Byard if they want, but with a talented secondary packed with veteran stars like Malcolm Butler and Kenny Vacarro and young players like Adoree Jackson and Kristian Fulton– opposing offenses won’t have an easy out anywhere on the field, which might lead to some risky passes being thrown in Byard’s direction.
Looking at the schedule the Titans have this year, it’s safe to assume that quarterbacks will be giving Tennessee their fair share of risky passes. The year will kick off against three opponents with risk-averse quarterbacks, but takes a dramatic shift heading into Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 2018’s interceptions leader, Ben Roethlisberger.
Also on the schedule: Two of the NFL’s three interceptions leaders, Indianapolis’ Phillip Rivers (twice) and Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. The league’s most inaccurate starting quarterback, Buffalo’s Josh Allen. A rookie, who at most will only have seven games as a starter heading into the matchup, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. And a date against the Chicago Bears and their revolving cast of uninspired quarterback options.
Byard might do more than just lead the league in interceptions– he could break his own career-best by the time the year is up.
Jeffery Simmons Finishes All-Pro, Kristian Fulton Wins DROY
Back to the flaming hot takes.
A second-year player with seven starts under his belt making All-Pro, and a second-round rookie winning defensive player of the year. Far-fetched? Maybe. But far from impossible. In fact, over the last three years, there have been 10 players to make the All-Pro list as sophomores including Titans legend Kevin Byard.
Titans fans know well that the question on Jeffery Simmons was never one of talent. Simmons was viewed by many as one of the five best players in the 2019 draft in regards to skill and upside, but took a fall to the Titans all the way to 19th in the draft based on concerns surrounding a torn ACL.
But Simmons looks to be fully healthy heading into 2020, and by all accounts, he’s been looking great in practice. In his seven starts in 2019, Simmons flashed his potential time and time again, but with a full offseason worth of practice rather than rehab– he might be ready to take the leap from potential into consistency. And along a defensive line where Simmons will be the clearest threat and biggest star, the defensive end could compile the stats for a convincing All-Pro case.
Jeffery Simmons isn’t the only young Titans defender that could make a name for himself in 2020, however. Kristian Fulton, a second-round rookie cornerback, could be in an excellent position to put up some big-time numbers.
Similar to Simmons, Fulton’s talent was never in question entering the draft. The LSU product spent all of 2019 facing off against the best receivers that college football had to offer, and promptly shutting them down. Now, playing in a secondary loaded with talent, Fulton will get the chance to continue his dominance from college without having to carry the load on defense.
Fulton was never a ball-hawk in college, which could keep him from earning recognition from the public. But for a player that’s so skilled in coverage as Fulton his, the cornerback will get his share of opportunities to make plays– maybe even enough for Defensive Player of The Year honors.
Titans Finish 13-3, Best Record in AFC
Here’s a math equation for you guys. What does a 2,000-yard rusher, plus one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks, times multiple defensive all-stars equal? One of the best teams in football, and definitely the best team in the conference.
The Tennessee Titans have the chance to break “The Curse of 9-7” in the most convincing way imaginable, by coasting through the weak AFC South with either five or six wins, crushing the rest of their schedule, and earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
13 wins for a team that hasn’t reached double-digit victories since 2008 might be a bit extreme, but we’re not in it for weak projections here. And the Titans aren’t the same team they were last year. This is a group loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, with one of the NFL’s best offensive play-callers in Arthur Smith and a great young head coach in Mike Vrabel. They have talent, they have an identity, and when all of the team’s main pieces were playing together in 2019, it resulted in one of the most efficient offenses in the history of the league.
Give that group an entire offseason to prepare together, rather than rushing the starting quarterback in midseason, and you’re set up for a group that can do even more than they did the year before. Even more than simply making the AFC Championship game.