Power Rankings: Little Movement This Week
It was a week of little change for the Tennessee Titans in NFL power rankings.
To many, the Titans are a borderline top 10 team after two weeks. Nothing more, nothing less.
Of the rankings we looked at, the closest Tennessee got to the top five was No. 7. Most had the Titans somewhere around No. 8 or No. 9 while a handful of others had the team closer to No. 15.
A look at where various national news outlets have the Titans ranked this week, and what they had to say following Sunday’s 33-30 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars:
Sports Illustrated - 12th (No change from last week)
Ryan Tannehill is still the guy we saw at the tail end of 2019 and, despite some injuries working their way through Tennessee’s receiving corps, the Titans are exceptionally difficult to game plan for and outwrestle each week.
ESPN - 8th (No change from last week)
[Jonnu] Smith is correctly not considered one of the top fantasy tight ends, but he has racked up three touchdowns in two games, as half of Ryan Tannehill's scoring passes have gone to Smith. Tannehill seems to look for Smith a lot in the red zone, which is where all three TD connections happened. It's clear that their offseason throwing sessions are paying off. So far Smith has been targeted 12 times by Tannehill and has eight receptions. Those catches plus his three touchdowns represent impressive production from 12 targets.
NFL.com - 7th (Last week: 5th)
The Titans continue to be the best red-zone offense in football with Ryan Tannehill at the controls. The quarterback has started the season 8-for-10 with six touchdowns and a 130.4 passer rating inside the enemy 20-yard line. Tannehill was stellar pretty much everywhere on the field against the Jaguars, averaging a whopping 10.0 yards per attempt (up from 5.8 in Week 1 in Denver) and matching a career high with four touchdown passes. His most impressive throw came late in the third quarter, when he absorbed a big shot from Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen and dropped a perfectly placed 18-yard touchdown pass into the hands of Adam Humphries. Tannehill is a tougher dude than he gets credit for being.
CBS Sports - 9th (Last week: 13th)
They are 2-0, but they really haven't played great football. Ryan Tannehill had another good day in the victory over the Jaguars, but the defense had issues.
NBC Sports - 15th (Last week: 12th)
Ryan Tannehill’s career renaissance continues. He has the Titans on a roll.
The Athletic - 11th (No change from last week)
The 2019 version of Ryan Tannehill is still alive. The Titans’ offense looked choppy in Week 1 against the Broncos, but Tannehill was on fire against the Jaguars, completing 18 of 24 attempts for 239 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His most impressive throw came late in the third quarter when Tannehill stood in the pocket, took a big hit and delivered a perfectly-placed ball to Adam Humphries for an 18-yard touchdown.
USA Today - 8th (Last week: 9th)
They're in sole possession of first place in AFC South ... yet Tennessee is also extremely fortunate it's not currently an 0-2 football team.
Bleacher Report: 12th (Last week: 13th)
The Tennessee Titans aren't exactly piling up the style points. But after outlasting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Titans are all alone in first place in the AFC South.
The win harkened back to what the Titans did last year on their way to the AFC Championship Game. Running back Derrick Henry carried the ball 25 times, albeit for only 84 yards. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for only 219 yards, but he also tossed four touchdown passes. The Tennessee defense was opportunistic, forcing two Gardner Minshew II interceptions and notching a pair of sacks.
However, we're about to find out how good these Titans really are. Over the next month, they play three teams that made the postseason a year ago (the Vikings, Texans and Buffalo Bills), and another in the Pittsburgh Steelers that has started the season 2-0.
The Titans, who allowed 480 yards of offense to the Jaguars, aren't without their flaws. But for now, they're in the driver's seat in the AFC South.
Sporting News - 14th (Last week: 19th)
The Titans did make it to the AFC championship with a similar offensive formula, Ryan Tannehill making efficient big plays working off the power running threat of Derrick Henry. But their defense hasn't looked all that good against two limited offenses. Luckily, their schedule gives them the struggling Vikings next.
Yahoo Sports - 9th (Last week: 10th)
Stephen Gostkowski has had a great career. Unless you have no heart, or are a Broncos fan, you had to feel good about Gostkowski being able to kick the winning field goal on Monday night after missing three field goals and an extra point earlier in the game. That would have been one awful plane ride home had Tennessee lost.
Fox Sports - 8th (Last week: 9th)
Ryan Tannehill threw for 239 passing yards and four touchdowns, and kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 49-yard field goal with 1:36 to go in the game for the win. For the first time since 2008, the Titans are 2-0, and they won their seventh straight game against the Jaguars.
