Vegas Remains Unconvinced Titans Are Super Bowl Contenders
By Matt De Saro
It may have ended in dissapointment, but the Tennessee Titans made it further than many expected after losing their best offensive player in Derrick Henry.
In the early portion of the season, the Titans were considered a Super Bowl favorite at times. After Henry went down, so did their chances at a Super Bowl. Henry is not only the best offensive player on the team; he might be one of the best offensive players in football and perhaps the most dominant at his position.
Despite Henry going out for the entire second half of the regular season, They ended the season 12-5 and took the top overall seed in the playoffs thanks to it; only to fall to the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
Looking ahead now to 2023, many question why the Titans' odds to win it all are so low at +1800 at WynnBET Sportsbook. That slot is tied with the Dallas Cowboys and longer than the 7-10 Denver Broncos!
So what gives?
Before we answer that question, let’s look at the positives for the Titans heading into the offseason. They return most of their key players in Henry, Ryan Tannehill, and Julio Jones. If Henry can stay healthy, it could be the difference between losing in the divisional round or making it to the big game. The Titans also have the luxury of playing in the worst division in the AFC and have very little competition standing in their way of making the playoffs (the Colts are slightly behind them at +2000). While the Titans have questions heading into the offseason, their division rivals remain steps behind.
One key issue that plagued Tennessee all season was the questionable offensive play-calling by Todd Downing. If he remains the offensive coordinator for this team next year, I would not recommend a futures bet. His offense, even with Henry for half the year, ranked in the middle in nearly every offensive category, as well as the offensive line which came in 16th in Pro Football Focus' final rankings.
Ultimately, quarterbacking the Titans remains Ryan Tannehill. It’s been fun, and a lot more successful than I imagined it would be, but is he the player that can take them to the Super Bowl and win?
Ultimately, the Titans are right about where they should be on the odds board. But it's time this team gets serious about winning a championship now and makes a move towards a top-tier option. Until they can I don't think it matters what their odds are because they don't have the talent to go all the way.