One final look at the Tennessee Titans wild 2020 season

The Tennessee Titans were a gift

There’s so much more than I wanted to see from this team. And, realistically, so much more that we probably should have seen.

The Baltimore Ravens are a great team, without question. Preseason Super Bowl favorites by many, with a roster packed full of talent at every position. But it’s still a Ravens team that the Titans beat in the playoffs last season, as well as the 2020 regular season. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see them do it again.

But there’s still so much that we did get to see. We got to see a 2,000-yard rusher. The league’s first since 2012. With the effort from Derrick Henry, the Titans became the first franchise in NFL history to feature two running backs to hit that mark.

We got to see a statement from Ryan Tannehill, who came to the Tennessee Titans just a year and a half ago as a backup. He was doubted his whole career, made a Pro Bowl in 2019, was still doubted, and came out swinging in 2020. Tannehill, that same former backup quarterback, ended the year with 33 touchdown passes to seven interceptions — and seven rushing touchdowns, just for good measure.

We got to see success, more than many of us have in a long time and more than I, personally, have since I began paying attention to the NFL. The Tennessee Titans haven’t won 11 games in over a decade. They haven’t won their division in over a decade. They haven’t been this good, this fun, in, you guessed it, over a decade.

The Tennessee Titans did all of this in the year 2020. Where the stressors and uncertainty of an ongoing global pandemic have pressed on since March. Where many people missed sports and the source of joy they brought with them.

But the Tennessee Titans got their chance to play in 2020. And every one of their 17 games, through the close wins and the big ones, the tight losses and the blowouts, all came in a year where so many people could use something that was pure fun to invest in.

That’s what the Tennessee Titans brought to the table. 11 wins that felt like cloud nine, and five losses that would make those wins feel even sweeter when they came.

That last loss brought the whole thing to an end, but one game should not take away the legacy of the 2020 Tennessee Titans.