5 bold predictions for Tennessee Titans in 2020
1. Titans will struggle when Ryan Tannehill regresses in a major way
The Titans saved their season in 2019 by benching Marcus Mariota in favor of Tannehill. They rode the veteran quarterback’s startling efficiency all the way to the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Expecting him to duplicate those heroics in 2020 is wishful thinking on the part of Tennessee’s coaching staff.
Instead, they should be planning for Tannehill to come crashing back down to Earth. He can still be a decent starting quarterback, but he won’t put up another Pro Bowl campaign. The more he’s forced to make plays for the Titans to win games the more his significant weaknesses are going to be exposed.
The most obvious decline fans will notice is in his completion percentage. That number will drop from just over 70 percent in 2019 to somewhere in the mid-60s in 2020. That might not seem like a big drop, but the Titans offense will feel it acutely.
He’s also not going to throw a touchdown on 7.7 percent of his passes this season. That powered him to a touchdown to interception ratio of 22:7 in just 12 games last year. Tannehill could maintain a ratio of 2:1 and still suffer a massive decline in that department.
Next. Bringing back Tannehill and Henry will backfire on Titans. dark
The ugly truth about Tannehill is that he’s still the same quarterback that the Dolphins felt comfortable letting go. He is a decent starter when everything around him goes well, but he can’t elevate the players around him when things start to go awry. His margin for error is too small to experience big time success again for the Titans in 2020. Some fans will be wishing for Mariota’s return by the time Week 10 rolls around.