The Tennessee Titans must play more consistently in 2022
The Tennessee Titans are a team that is known to frequently rise to the occasion, especially when it matters most.
You can see that when you look at their 2021 stretch against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Rams where the Titans went 4-0 including beating the Rams on the road without Derrick Henry.
Also, remember them stunningly beating the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 playoffs and then dismantling the Bills in 2020 coming cold off of a COVID-19 hiatus while short-handed?
One of Mike Vrabel’s strengths is that can elevate and motivate the Titans for the big games. Unfortunately, they have been just as capable of falling apart against horrible teams under his watch. Look at last year as a prime example, as they suffered losses to the New York Jets, Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Heck, the blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals – who are showing to be more and more of a clown show by the day – in Week 1 is another example of this occurring.
Exceeding expectations is great and their ability to win big games says a lot about a team’s resiliency, but the best teams are the ones who can consistently meet expectations as well. The Tennessee Titans have not proven they can do that.
How can Tennessee Titans play more consistently?
Last season the historic number of injuries the Tennessee Titans suffered played a crucial role in their inconsistency, but that isn’t an excuse that covers every issue.
One of the most frustrating things was that their discipline, something Vrabel usually has a great track record with, was lacking in those losses.
In the loss to the Texans, the Titans had an absurd total of five turnovers. The collapse to the Steelers was mainly driven by their four turnovers, three of which came consecutively in the second half and were careless backbreakers.
Even in the loss to the New England Patriots, a game that just about everyone predicted the Titans would lose, two fumbles derailed their momentum and essentially cost them any chance to make it a game when it was still in reach.
Even though backups will make some mistakes when they are just starting to gain experience, a large reason for their disappointing start to 2021 was the number of mistakes they were making. When this team has been at its best, it has been when they were refraining from penalties and turning the ball over, and that is largely on Vrabel and company to make sure they prepare the same way for all opponents, and not just when they know they have to.
At the same time, having a complete and healthy roster does go a long way to turning in complete performances, and the Tennessee Titans did not have that in 2020 or 2021. In 2020, the offense kept the team afloat when the defense could not help them out in the slightest, while the next year, the defense bailed the team out repeatedly while the offense could not take advantage of any opportunities.
Luckily for the Titans, the defense (which managed to stay consistent from week to week in 2021) is coming back with only one significant alteration. The offense, once again, has question marks, which go beyond who is under center.
The good news is that the Titans hired Tim Kelly to aid the passing game in hopefully the same way that Jim Schwartz has aided the pass rush. Even though losing AJ Brown and having a fairly suspect offensive line could hold them back, barring another devastating wave of injuries, they will still have some playmakers at their disposal, and better play-calling.
The potential is there, but first and foremost, it is going to take a full team effort to make sure they stay consistent and do not beat themselves during winnable games.