End Of Year Power Rankings: Not a Pretty Picture
A sampling of the NFL’s various power rankings six months ago left some wondering if the Tennessee Titans were being overlooked headed into the 2022 season.
Sure, they had traded away a key part of their offense in wide receiver A.J. Brown, but the Titans were still coming off a 12-5 record in 2021 – a mark that had earned Tennessee the AFC’s top seed going into the playoffs.
So why weren’t the Titans included in virtually anyone’s top 10, ranked as high as 11th by ESPN and as low as 17th (Pro Football Focus) at that time?
Six months later, it turns out the preseason power rankings were actually over-estimating the Titans, who – after a 7-3 start – disintegrated amidst an anemic offense and a rash of injuries, finishing 7-10.
So how do NFL observers around the country view the Titans now, following the team’s first losing record since 2015? Not surprisingly, like an icy thermometer – all have them outside the top 20.
Here’s a look at where the Titans ended up in a survey of some regular season-ending power rankings:
Ranking: 20th
Comment: A year ago the Titans were the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Then they traded away A.J. Brown, fired their GM midseason, lost seven straight games to close out the year and look to be in a very different state as a franchise. The fact that Josh Dobbs came off the Lions’ practice squad to come start for Tennessee in a must-win game with playoff ramifications cannot be a good sign for Malik Willis.
Ranking: 28th
Comment: This was a disastrous season for the Titans, who watched A.J. Brown excel in Philadelphia while their passing offense was more stuck than ever, then fired their general manager, watched their defense collapse and bypassed their third-round rookie to play a journeyman in a loser-goes-home match with Ryan Tannehill out for the season. Any optimism about the future is based on faith in Mike Vrabel and the division’s folly.
Ranking: 20th
Comment: They need to figure out their quarterback situation. Is Ryan Tannehill the guy? If not, who will be?
Ranking: 22nd
Comment: The Titans put up a valiant fight in Week 18, outplaying the favored Jaguars for 55 minutes before a disastrous turnover created the touchdown that served as the difference in a 20-16 defeat. While it's obviously painful to lose a game and a division in such a dramatic manner, this is also a diminished team that was never going to make much noise in the playoffs. "We didn't do a good enough job -- we lost too many games," coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. "That self-reflection, nobody would evaluate that they did a good enough job because we didn't win. ... The short answer is: It wasn't good enough." Changes are inevitable, and they began Monday with the announcement that offensive coordinator Todd Downing and three other assistants had been let go.
Ranking: 21st
Comment: From 7-3 to 7-10, and plenty of changes coming.
Ranking: 25th
Comment: Good news: Derrick Henry notched his third 1,500-yard rushing season in the last four years.
Bad news: Henry isn’t enough anymore. The Titans finished 28th in scoring, averaging just 17.5 points per game. It was their lowest scoring average since 2014 when they averaged just 15.9 points per game in a 2-14 season.
Ranking: 24th
Comment: So, nine months after their highly scrutinized trade of WR A.J. Brown, is it time to put RB Derrick Henry on the market while the 29-year-old can still fetch a quasi-valuable return?
