It’s hardly an exaggeration to say the Tennessee Titans are constantly one of the most disrespected teams in the NFL. No matter how many games the Titans win, how many accolades they earn, who they acquire, etc., the skepticism surrounding Tennessee feels as if it’s never-ending.
Even when the team was undeniably a top contender like they were from 2019 through 2021, people still found a way to discredit the team’s success by constantly acting as if their winning ways were always an accident that mostly revolved around getting lucky.
Needless to say, when the Titans of all teams finished the year on a seven-game losing streak and missed the playoffs in 2022, it’s became a perfect excuse for many within the national media to write them off again.
We can add fellow USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, to the list of those who are skeptical about the Titans’ chances heading into 2023.
In an article predicting each team’s upcoming season outlook, Davis had Tennessee going 8-9 this year, ultimately finishing with the second-best record in the AFC South and subsequently missing the playoffs for the second-straight season.
Here is what Davis had to say about his prediction:
Even with the signing of Hopkins, prospects for this club feel rather muted. But let’s not forget the Titans were the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed in 2021 and were 7-3 before the wheels came off last season … when they would have salvaged the division championship had they been able to win at Jacksonville in Week 18. Difficult to picture any team coached by Mike Vrabel coming completely unglued.
Yet also tough to foresee what happens with RB Derrick Henry and QB Ryan Tannehill – he missed five games in 2022 – entering contract years, a scenario that seems to invite the possibility that Henry could be traded before the Halloween deadline while leading to the potential promotion of rookie QB Will Levis down the stretch
At the end of the day, if someone isn’t a believer in the Titans, then so be it.
However, if you’re not even going to mention the real strength of the team (the defense) when going over your explanation, then that tells me you’re probably not paying nearly enough attention to this team.
People definitely forget what this #Titans defense was doing before injuries kicked in.
Jeffery Simmons & Denico Autry, in particular, were dominating before they got hurt midseason.
Now they’re both healthy and have Harold Landry & Arden Key joining the lineup https://t.co/oGhvHs2Y0f pic.twitter.com/rFf85ppGMt— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) July 5, 2023
The good news is, we’re finally approaching the point of the year where the Titans’ play on the field can do the talking for us. But until then, don’t be too surprised to see takes similar to this one floating around.
