Tennessee Titans: vs. Houston Texans
There have been few playoff runs over the years that were more unexpected than what the Tennessee Titans did in 2019. Tennessee needed some help to get in the playoffs, winning a tiebreaker for the sixth seed in the AFC thanks to some Pittsburgh losses down the stretch, but once they got in the dance the Titans made some serious noise.
Road wins at New England and Baltimore sent the Titans off to Kansas City with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Tennessee built a 17-7 lead in the second quarter only to watch it all slip away as the Chiefs came back to win.
That run, built on the ground game with Derrick Henry and an outstanding defense, can be replicated under the right circumstances. Henry is back with the Titans and Ryan Tannehill has a new contract, offering stability at two key positions for Tennessee.
The challenging part of what Tennessee did was winning playoff games on the road, which is not usually a recipe for continuing success. The Titans would be well-advised to win their division, which means taking down the Houston Texans.
There is no question that Houston is weaker than they were a year ago, but they still have the best quarterback in the division in Deshaun Watson. Tennessee can make a major statement by topping the Texans and grabbing hold of the AFC South in one fell swoop.