Fansided

Why the Tennessee Titans will prove they’re not a fluke

By Dustin Baker

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates with fans after their 20-13 win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates with fans after their 20-13 win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 22: Jayon Brown #55 of the Tennessee Titans speaks with a young fan before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium on December 22, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee. New Orleans defeats Tennessee 38-28. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 22: Jayon Brown #55 of the Tennessee Titans speaks with a young fan before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium on December 22, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee. New Orleans defeats Tennessee 38-28. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

The Titans are a balanced team and that bodes well for consistency

Two recent NFL teams have notably popped up to be formidable for a minute and then retreated to mediocrity or irrelevance.

The first example is the aforementioned Jaguars bunch. That 2017 Jacksonville group was extremely reliant on its defense as that side of the ball was just that damn good. Quarterback Blake Bortles was only asked, for the most part, not to make boneheaded decisions. For much of the season, he fulfilled his assignment.

Yet, when asked to do it again or perhaps be even better in 2018 — he wasn’t. He looked foolish during his 3-9 (.250) win-loss output in 2018. Turn the clock forward to fall of 2020 and Bortles doesn’t even reside on an NFL team’s roster.

A similar (but not as egregious) malady beset the 2019 Chicago Bears. Chicago was jazzed after winning 12 games in 2018, the youthful exuberance of Mitchell Trubisky was firing up MVP conversations, and the Bears were all systems go for 2018.  They then finished the season 8-8. The offense was repugnant at times while the defense was the fourth-best unit in the league via points allowed.

The Titans do not solely rely on one side of the ball to spearhead team success. They are balanced. In 2019, the Titans finished 10th in points scored and 12th in points allowed. Tennessee did not participate in track meets nor did they get the trenches for 6-3 scoreboard contests will other teams.

Stylistically, the Titans are fundamentally different than the 2017 Jaguars or 2018 Bears.

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