Countdown to Kickoff: 26 Days
The countdown to kickoff continues.
The Tennessee Titans will open the 2020 regular season Sept. 14 at Denver. That is 26 days away. So, today we look at one way the number 26 figures into the team’s recent history.
In two seasons in charge of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel has built a reputation as an aggressive head coach.
Some of his decisions in critical moments have left him open to second-guessing. No one can say, however, that he has gone for it too often on fourth down.
Over the past two seasons, the Titans have attempted 26 fourth-down plays, which is tied for the third fewest in the NFL over that span. By comparison, the NFL’s leader in that regard, the New York Giants, has attempted nearly twice as many (51, to be exact). In all, when given the opportunity in 2018 and 2019, 10 teams opted not to kick 40 times or more.
Wins and losses clearly are a factor in whether or not to go for it on fourth down. Only last season’s Super Bowl participants, Kansas City and San Francisco, have attempted fewer in the past two seasons, including last year when they tried to convert less often than all other teams.
The Titans, of course, have finished 9-7 each of the last four years and made the playoffs. When compared to his predecessor, Vrabel has been a bit more willing to try. In the first two 9-7 seasons (2016-17) with Mike Mularkey as head coach, the Titans went for it on fourth down 21 times.
The fact that Tennessee has not been so good at converting on fourth down likely is a factor in the limited number of attempts as well. Under Vrabel, Tennessee has converted 42.3 percent of the time, fifth worst in the NFL. Eleven times the Titans have been successful. Only the L.A. Rams, with nine, have fewer.
