Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports
Well-Rested Titans Tough to Beat
NASHVILLE – Give Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans a little extra preparation for a regular-season game and they will produce a win – a decisive win in almost every case.
That’s been the pattern so far, anyway.
It’s encouraging news for the Titans as they come off their bye week and prepare for a Sunday showdown against Indianapolis, with first place in the AFC South on the line.
Since Vrabel was hired in 2018, the Titans are the NFL’s only undefeated team (8-0) in regular-season games with nine or more rest days in between games.
What’s even more impressive is that they have outscored opponents 237-87 in those contests, which averages to a score of 30-11. Only one opponent – the Baltimore Ravens, in a 30-24 overtime game in 2020 – has managed to come within one score of the Titans.
A rundown of the Tennessee Titans' results in games following an extended break (2018-2021):
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
Nov. 5, 2018 | at Dallas | W 28-14 |
Dec. 16, 2018 | at N.Y. Giants | W 17-0 |
Sept. 29, 2019 | at Atlanta | W 24-10 |
Nov. 24, 2019 | vs. Jacksonville | W 42-20 |
Oct. 13, 2020 | vs. Buffalo | W 42-16 |
Nov. 22, 2020 | at Baltimore | W 30-24 (OT) |
Dec. 12, 2021 | vs. Jacksonville | W 20-0 |
Jan. 1, 2022 | vs. Miami | W 34-3 |
Why has Tennessee – which last played Oct. 10 against Washington – been so successful in such instances?
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons says it always begins with the first practice following the off weekend, a test he feels the team passed again this past Monday.
“I don’t know what the record of the other teams is, but they may come back and just be lackadaisical and everything,” Simmons said. “But we came back Monday and had a hell of a day. Our Monday practice was one of our best practices of the year.
“Everyone had the right mindset coming out. I think that’s what (Vrabel) pushes around here, especially coming off the bye week. Because he said it more than one time: `The bye week is over with, so it’s back to work.’”
Safety Kevin Byard theorized that when the Titans are at their best, they play an especially physical, aggressive style, one that benefits from some extra time between games.
“The effort and the finish that we play with … when guys get some rest, they’re able to come back and fly around,” Byard said. “That’s usually something you see after the bye week – guys are just flying all around the field. So, we expect to be doing that on Sunday.”
The mental boost of a long break can’t be ignored either.
Using some of that extra time for added self-evaluation or opponent preparation is vital.
“It’s a big self-scout time for us,” Byard added. “So whether it’s simplifying things or doing more, everybody is kind of looking at themselves and holding ourselves accountable.”
Added Simmons: “The main thing is just attention to detail. Details and communication is what we harp on around here, if it’s coming off a Thursday night game (or a bye weekend). When you come off a weekend like that, everyone has to be locked in and (focused on details), and of course the energy, too.”
Something’s clearly working for the Titans. Last season, they shut out Jacksonville 20-0 and whipped Miami 34-3 in their two long-rest games.
Will the Colts be the next team to feel the sting of a more energized, more prepared Titans team?
“I hope all those things go into it – the rest, the extra preparation, coming back rejuvenated a little bit,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “Our guys have done a good job so far this week of coming back ready to go. Had a great practice Monday, good energy. Guys were flying around on offense and defense. We got a lot out of that practice.”
