The Tennessee Titans will enter the 2022 campaign with a ton of uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball, so it isn’t unreasonable to assume the team could take a step back from where it finished in 2021.
And that’s what CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan thinks, as he listed Tennessee as one of five teams who will take a step back in 2022, along with the Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns.
Here’s Sullivan’s explanation:
The Titans were the No. 1 seed in the AFC last season and it’s hard to see a scenario where that comes to fruition again in 2022. In fact, Tennessee isn’t even the favorite to win the AFC South this year after the Indianapolis Colts were able to upgrade at quarterback this offseason by trading for Matt Ryan.
This could prove to be a pivotal year for the Titans, especially at quarterback. Despite leading his team to a 12-5 record, Ryan Tannehill took a step back in 2021. His passer rating was the lowest it’s been since he arrived in Nashville and his 14 interceptions during the regular season were the most in his Titans tenure and second-most of his career. Those turnovers issues also reared their head in Tennessee’s one-and-done appearance in the playoffs as he threw three interceptions in the club’s 19-16 loss to the Bengals in the divisional round.
If Tannehill struggles again this season, the Titans do have an out in his contract next offseason where they could clear just under $20 million in cap space. Tennessee also drafted former Liberty quarterback Malik Willis in the third round, stoking even more fuel to the flames of Tannehill entering a make-or-break season.
Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that downward trajectory for Tannehill continue and, with the AFC getting stronger over the offseason, Tennessee could very well go from being the No.1 seed in 2021 to missing out on the postseason party in 2022.
While we do agree the Titans are likely to take a step back because of their offense and a tougher conference to navigate, they are still the best team in the division, which will be their easiest path to the playoffs.
All this talk about the Colts is understandable, but when you put their roster side-by-side with Tennessee’s, it’s clear the two teams are very similar. After all, the Colts have a lot of question marks on offense, while also sporting a defense that has elite potential, albeit with a few question marks of its own.
So, with all things mostly being equal, the Titans should be given the edge here, especially after getting the better of the Colts in recent years, winning four of the last five matchups, including a season sweep in 2021.
In our way-too-early game-by-game predictions, we had the Titans finishing 10-7 and atop the AFC South via a tiebreaker over the Indianapolis Colts. So, while we technically expect Tennessee to take a step back record-wise, it won’t be drastic enough that the Titans will miss out on the playoffs.
