The Tennessee Titans are having another relatively successful regular season up to this point. The team has won seven of their last eight games after a disastrous 0-2 start to the year and sits in first place in the AFC South.
Tennessee currently sits at 7-3 after 11 weeks, with the Titans’ only loss since September coming against the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks back. Despite the defeat, it was an impressive outing by the Titans on a day where they showed how resilient they were as a group.
Tennessee was without their top quarterback and wide receiver and they still found a way to nearly leave Arrowhead with a victory.
Nevertheless, this Titans team has given us a lot to be thankful for as of late. In honor of Thanksgiving, let’s take a closer look at what this fanbase should be thankful for when it comes to boys in two-tone blue.
Derrick Henry
This one is obvious for many reasons.
Not only is the Titans’ All-Pro ball carrier the franchise’s touchdown-scoring leader, but Derrick Henry is also legitimately establishing himself as one of the all-time greats at the running back position.
If it hadn’t been for an unfortunate foot injury that sidelined Henry for most of last year, he’d currently be on pace for his fourth straight rushing title in all likelihood.
Also, if not for the broken foot, there’s a strong possibility that the Alabama legend would have been the first player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards on two separate occasions.
Despite the injury-shortened 2021 season, it’s not an exaggeration to say that we are truly witnessing one of the greatest primes by a running back in NFL history at this point.
Over Henry’s last 58 games played, he’s rushed for 6,647 yards, while accounting for a combined total of 68 touchdowns. That’s good enough for an incredible average of 114.6 yards per game over a whopping 58-game span that also includes multiple playoff games.
Needless to say, this fanbase will forever be thankful for No. 22 being a Tennessee Titan.
The Titans’ elite defense
To say this Titans’ Defense has been phenomenal as of late would be a massive understatement.
Since Week 3, the Titans’ Defense possesses/ranks:
- No. 1 scoring unit (15.4 PPG)
- No. 1 third-down defense (30.1 percent)
- No. 1 overall rushing defense (60.4 yards allowed per game)
- No. 1 opposing rush EPA (-0.270)
- No. 1 opposing rushing success rate (28.3 percent)
- No. 2 defensive success rate (38.9 percent)
- No. 7 dropback success rate (42.7 percent)
- No. 8 EPA/Play (-0.061)
Tennessee is also producing one of the highest pressure rates in the entire league despite being one of the defenses that blitzes less frequently than most.
Make no mistake about it, this Titans defense is every bit elite, and the unit give this team a realistic chance to beat anybody on any given day of the week, no matter the struggles of the offense.
It should go without saying at this point that this tenacious defense is universally appreciated by every single Titans supporter out there.
Head Coach Mike Vrabel
After the team decided to part ways with Mike Mularkey after feeling that the team had reached its ceiling under him, the Titans ultimately decided that Mike Vrabel was the guy capable of taking the team to the next level.
It’s safe to say the team resoundingly accomplished that goal with their head coach.
The Titans have never had a losing record under Vrabel, making the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, including two division championships and one trip to the AFC championship.
Also, barring something dramatic happening, Tennessee is currently well on track to accomplish its third consecutive division championship in as many years.
Obviously, the next step for this franchise is to find a way to not only get to the Super Bowl, but to make sure they’re the team that’s hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of it.
Vrabel and Co. may not have accomplished that as of yet, but it’s a pretty safe assumption that this Titans fanbase fully believes in Vrabel’s capabilities as a coach to finish the job someday in the hopefully not-too-distant future.
In total, the 2021 AP Coach of the Year recipient has an overall record of 50-30 (including playoffs) since he arrived in Nashville back in 2018 and sports the highest winning percentage of any head coach in franchise history.
If there’s one thing this fanbase should absolutely be thankful for in 2022, it should be for the unforeseen stability, success, and leadership that Vrabel has brought to this once-mediocre franchise that desperately needed his help.
Ryan Tannehill
The Titans quarterback has been one of the biggest reasons for this franchise’s drastic turnaround over the last few years.
Ever since Ryan Tannehill took over as the Titans’ full-time starter back in 2019, he’s gone 38-18 (including playoffs) as the starting quarterback.
Arguably his biggest moment of appreciation came when he was recently sidelined due to an ankle injury and the passing offense got significantly more limited without him.
Tannehill isn’t a perfect quarterback by any means, but his efforts and importance to this team are severely under-appreciated more often than not.
Fortunately, this is not one of those times, and this post is just a small token of appreciation for what No. 17 has accomplished — and the toughness he’s shown — ever since he snatched the Titans’ starting job and never looked back.
Five other things to be thankful for
- Amy Adams-Strunk and everything she does for the team, including outside of the on-field product.
- Colts’ reluctancy to match the Titans’ offer for Denico Autry’s services.
- The front office being smart enough to realize Jeffery Simmons was a can’t-miss prospect with a little patience.
- Treylon Burks seemingly hitting his stride at the right time, potentially giving this offense a capable No. 1 wide receiver going forward.
- Tennessee finally getting instant-impact rookies out of another draft class.
