The Tennessee Titans notched an impressive win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, and that result should have them moving up the NFL power rankings of experts going into Week 5.
Or at least we thought — USA TODAY’s Nate Davis actually has the Titans moving down one spot from No. 20 to No. 21 despite the dominant victory. Here’s his write-up:
Buy Titans Tickets21. Titans (20): Half of RB Derrick Henry’s eight career completions have produced touchdowns. Maybe he should be Tennessee’s quarterback.
Not exactly the explanation we were looking for.
It should be noted that the Bengals have been playing horribly so far this season, so the Titans’ win wasn’t nearly as impressive as it would’ve been had Cincinnati been looking like its normal self going into the game.
While Davis has the Titans moving in the opposite direction you’d expect after a dominant win, it was a different story in the rest of our round-up.
Let’s check it out.
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire: 25 (+1)
Barry Werner, The List Wire: 24 (+2)
Werner: “You don’t get credit for handling the Bengals when they are playing the way they are. Just another 2-2 team in a 2-2 division.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 15 (+6)
Prisco: “They dominated the Bengals in grand fashion Sunday, which was a vintage Mike Vrabel type of day. He always gets his team to respond when it’s needed.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 21 (+4)
Florio: “They went from losing 27-3 to winning 27-3. One way or the other, they need consistency.”
NFL Nation, ESPN: 21 (+8)
Turron Davenport: “The Titans’ defense has given up 12 explosive passing plays (20-plus yards) this season. Those 12 plays account for 372 of the 692 passing yards the Titans have allowed through four games. Miscommunication and poor execution have been the root causes of the long passing plays Tennessee has allowed. The defensive front consistently gets after the quarterback. But the back end has to hold up its end of the bargain in order for the Titans’ defense to excel. The defense showed how dominant it can be in its best performance of the season this past Sunday, when the Titans didn’t allow a single explosive play while holding the Bengals to three points and 211 total yards in a 27-3 win.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 23 (+2)
Iyer: “The Titans got their offense going with a little more creativity for Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. They also picked the right time to shore up their pass defense to the point of domination. They’re doing their best to stay right in the AFC South race.”
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 20 (+5)
Schwab: “Back on the Titans roller coaster. They’ve alternated miserable performances with good ones for the first four weeks of the season. The same goes for Ryan Tannehill. Week 5 brings an interesting game at the Colts, and maybe we’ll start to figure out if the Titans are good or not.”
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: 20 (+4)
Miller: “The Tennessee Titans absolutely throttled the Cincinnati Bengals. The offensive line finally got things going for Derrick Henry, and Henry obliged by absolutely bullying the second and third level of the Bengals’ defense. When Tennessee isn’t forced to play from behind, it allows them to dictate the style and tempo of their offense. Being able to use play action and take responsibility off of Ryan Tannehill allows this offense to operate smoothly. In that respect, little has changed since Arthur Smith took over as the Atlanta Falcons head coach.”
K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire: 21 (+7)
Ryan Dunleavy, New York Post: 14 (+7)
Brandon Anderson, Action Network: 17 (+10)
Anderson: “The Titans appear to be outright trolling me at this point. This roster hasn’t made sense to me for years and I keep waiting to write off Tennessee for good. But every time I finally pour dirt on the grave, Mike Vrabel’s guys pull off another big upset. The Titans outcoached and outplayed the Bengals and have posted back-to-back 27-3 results in opposite directions. What in the world is this team? This week’s game in Indianapolis could be a good measuring stick. The Titans have won five straight in the division rivalry. If they make it six and emerge atop the AFC South through five weeks … honestly, I’m not sure what I will do with them.”
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: 16 (+5)
Edholm: “An improved defensive performance and a resurgent Derrick Henry were exactly what the Titans needed to pull to .500 in a statement victory over the Bengals. It helped that Joe Burrow limped into the game and Tee Higgins left early, but the Titans overwhelmed Cincinnati on both lines of scrimmage and thoroughly dominated. Tennessee got away with three fumbles (recovering all of them) and a meaningless late pick from Ryan Tannehill, and there were a few miscues in pass protection, so there’s plenty to work on. But the Henry-Tyjae Spears backfield looks very promising again, and the AFC South remains wide open. Mike Vrabel can win with this group.”
Sanjesh Singh, NBC Sports Chicago: 19 (+1)
Singh: “Order the AFC South in any way right now and it probably makes sense.”
Bleacher Report: 20 (+5)
