The Tennessee Titans moved to 1-1 on the season in Week 2 after notching a 27-24 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, it’s time to see where they land in the NFL power rankings of different outlets.
We start with USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, who has the Titans moving up two spots to No. 18. Here’s what he had to say about Tennessee:
Buy Titans Tickets18. Titans (20): Have you noticed how much RB Derrick Henry has evolved as a receiver? One-third (71 yards) of his total output from scrimmage this season has come via receptions – this after he established career bests with 33 grabs for 398 yards in 2022.
Henry has indeed been utilized as a receiver more since 2022. With 71 yards over two games (35.5 per game), Henry is on pace for 603 receiving yards, which would shatter his career-high mark of 398 from last season.
Now, a look at where other experts from different media outlets are putting the Titans in their NFL power rankings going into Week 3.
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire: 25 (+6)
Bailey: “I don’t think the Titans are good as much as they were the beneficiary of playing the Chargers. They are well-coached, though, which is more than can be said about the teams below them.”
Barry Werner, The List Wire: 19
Werner: “The Titans snapped an overall eight-game losing streak as Nick Folk delivered in overtime. Give an assist to Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who called a timeout in the extra session when Tennessee faced a third down with Derrick Henry on the sidelines. After the timeout, Henry was back in and ran for the first down.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 14 (+9)
Prisco: “They actually snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating the Chargers in overtime. Ryan Tannehill bounced back in a big way.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 20 (+7)
Florio: “They need to coach their quarterback out of his current Jekyll-and-Hyde vibe.”
NFL Nation, ESPN: 22 (+5)
David Helman, FOX Sports: 22 (+6)
Helman: “Mike Vrabel and the Titans are going to find a way. I’ll be honest: I wrote them off before the season, and I’m sorry about that. Through two weeks, they’ve got a win over the Chargers and could have easily beaten the Saints. The formula is simple: use the ground game to set up play-action passes, and beat the hell out of the opposition on defense. When it’s working, it works very, very well.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 22 (+8)
Iyer: “The Titans got on the board with a familiar formula of Ryan Tannehill playing well off Derrick Henry at home and stopping the run. They also came up with timely defense in overtime.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com:
Edholm: “What they lacked in big or timely plays in the opener, the Titans made up for in Sunday’s dramatic OT victory over the Chargers. It was a shorthanded effort, too. Tennessee was without two starting DBs and OG Peter Skoronski, this year’s first-round pick, and the team had to replace Skoronski’s replacement midgame. Perhaps this classic Mike Vrabel win is a sign of things to come. The Titans trailed by 11 points for 67 seconds of game time against the Chargers; otherwise, every Titans play this season has come in a one-score scenario. They have to win with guile and toughness and via special teams, and they came through in spades on Sunday. So did Ryan Tannehill, whose success should be huge for his confidence and the confidence of everyone else in the passing game. This team can make a run at the Jaguars.”
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 19 (+3)
Schwab: “Ryan Tannehill went from looking bad in Week 1 to completing 20 of 24 passes in an overtime win on Sunday. That’s another negative on the Chargers and Brandon Staley, but it was a huge performance for a Titans team that was looking at an 0-2 hole to start the season.”
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: 21 (+6)
Miller: “The Tennessee Titans’ offensive line is an abomination, and their Week 1 game plan was even worse than that. Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly mistook Ryan Tannehill for Tom Brady and asked him to become the dropback passer he hasn’t been throughout the entirety of his 11-year career. In Week 2 against the Chargers, they leaned more heavily on the run game, which now features a two-headed monster of explosiveness and punishment with the addition of Tyjae Spears. And with a defensive line boasting a slew of multifaceted defenders and a safety tandem that makes a case for being the most talented in the NFL, that side of the ball could very well keep them in more games than their roster may suggest they should.”
