NFL franchise all-time power rankings: Which organization comes out on top?

21. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans of course started their legacy as the Houston Oilers. In their two very first seasons in existence, they won the AFL Championship. George Blanda won a league MVP, and the team was off and running. They would eventually join the NFL in the merger, and they had their share of success, but they had a very defined ceiling they couldn’t seem to get past. 

The Oilers/Titans made the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979 off the backs of Earl Campbell’s best seasons. Bum Phillips was a fantastic coach, but he failed to win the big one. They unfortunately lost both games. They made the playoffs every year from 1987 to 1993, but they only had some Wild Card wins to show for it. Then, they moved the team before the 1997 season. 

This was more than 10 years in the making. Bud Adams was threatening to move as early as 1987, and he continued his demands until reaching an agreement with the City of Nashville in 1995. This was still a very successful franchise, but the attendance wasn’t there and the stadium issue was not getting resolved.

Their legacy in Tennessee is that of running backs. It started with Eddie George, it peaked with Chris Johnson, and it continued today with Derrick Henry. Those three players carried the Titans into the 2000s, and George even helped the Titans get one yard away from the Super Bowl against the Rams. Of course, Buffalo fans would call that karma because of the Music City Miracle, but it’s rare for one franchise to be included in two such iconic moments on the field, let alone them both happening in the same playoff.