Tennessee Titans
2011 PFF All-AFC South Team
Day 3 of our All-Division Teams takes us to the AFC South which is currently in a state of flux. With no Peyton Manning it was anything but the status quo as the Texans managed to dominate a division they justly won, while overcoming a plethora of injuries in the process.
But what about the best players from the AFC South? Were the Texans able to make us much noise with our team as they did in the regular season? Or were the combined efforts of the Titans, Colts, and Jaguars enough to make this more of an AFC South team, and less of a Houston Texans team?
As ever, reading on provides the answers.
Re-Focused: Titans @ Texans, Week 17
With an outside chance of making the playoffs, this was it for the Tennessee Titans and first year head coach Mike Munchak. Could they beat a severely depleted Houston Texans side, and would it matter?
Unfortunately while the answer to the first question was yes, it ultimately proved only of consequence to their draft stock as results went against them. A disappointing end to an encouraging season where the Titans got plenty of rookies plenty of playing time, though the nature of this victory against a largely second string Texans side shows there is a lot of work to be done.
As for Houston they march into the playoffs and will consider this game a success, presuming T.J. Yates is at full health as they host their first ever playoff game. After all they got Andre Johnson some snaps, didn’t lose anyone to injury, and got their depth some playing time. Let’s look at how that depth, and others, performed.
Three to Focus on: Titans @ Texans, Week 17
Quite incredibly after handing the Indianapolis Colts their first victory of the 2011 season just two weeks ago the Tennessee Titans are still alive in the playoff hunt. With a victory over the Houston Texans, who are locked into the third seed in the AFC, along with wins for Baltimore and the New York Jets, the Titans will steal an improbable sixth seed in the AFC and re-match in Houston next weekend. So we are left with the interesting situation, which we’ve had a couple of times in recent seasons, where a “better” team has nothing to play for against an inferior opponent with a playoff berth and potential momentum all to play for.
If Tennessee’s recent history is anything to go by watch for this game to be one of the closest of the weekend and one that could see the AFC sixth seed going down to the final minutes. Tennessee has only had one of their last six games decided by more than six points, their two touchdown defeat to the Colts, with four of those six games settled by a score of 23-17. All Houston has to play for in this game is momentum and some semblance of control over their wildcard opponent. Here are three focus points for one of three key games in deciding the sixth seed in the AFC.
Re-Focused: Jaguars @ Titans, Week 16
Having blown it last week against one of the league’s poorer teams, the Tennessee Titans were in no mood to let it happen again, as they kept their postseason hopes alive by hanging on for a 23-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Hasselbeck passed for 350 yards – mostly in the first half – as the Titans seemed in control more or less throughout, but had to force a red zone turnover in the fourth quarter and run out the last four minutes to make it safe.
Tennessee travels to Houston to face the Texans next week and their reward for a win could be another trip to Houston in the first round of the postseason, though they’ll need help. Jacksonville’s season was over a long time ago, but they have remained competitive for the most part and will look to reward their fans’ patience with a home win over the Colts to end the season on a positive note.
Let’s look at some of the major individual stories from Saturday’s game:
Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Jaguars @ Titans, Week 16
The Tennessee Titans’ quest for a Wild Card spot in the AFC took a major hit as they gave the Indianapolis Colts their first win of the season last week. The Titans are still in the hunt, but at 7-7, they are a game behind the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. They’ll look to bounce back this week against another struggling division rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars’ biggest strength this season has been placing payers on injured reserve, so they’ll piece together a team to bring to Tennessee. Interim Head Coach Mel Tucker has had mixed results in his three weeks on the job, as a blow out win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been sandwiched around two embarrassing beatings on national television. Tucker hopes to keep his guys motivated as he looks to become full time head coach, while the Titans are in must-win territory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Re-Focused: Titans @ Colts, Week 15
It’s why we love the NFL. Just as we were all accepting the fact that the Packers would go undefeated and the Colts wouldn’t win a single game, both potential milestones get wiped off the map in the same week.
You have to wonder how much the Titans will look back on this one as a missed opportunity if they fail to make the playoffs. With a victory they would have been tied with the Bengals and Jets for the final wild card spot, which would be quite impressive in Mike Munchak’s first season.
The bigger story though is that after looking like the worst team to ever step onto an NFL field, the Colts found a way to win. This was a game that looked very much like both teams were playing to make the other team beat them because they didn’t make as many mistakes. That being said, the game did feature some key performances–both good and bad–including the best performance we’ve seen from a middle linebacker all year. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the performances of note.
Three to Focus On: Titans @ Colts, Week 15
Time is rapidly running out for the Indianapolis Colts to win a game in 2011. If last week’s performance in Baltimore is anything to go by, no amount of time would be enough to help this team get that elusive “W”. All but locked in to the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, the Colts are now playing for what little pride they have left along with all of their, and head coach Jim Caldwell’s jobs.
The Tennessee Titans have quietly went about their business this year and as we head into the last three weeks of the season, sit right in the thick of the battle for a wildcard spot. The AFC South, however, is gone with Houston celebrating their first ever division title after a last-second victory over Cincinnati a week ago.
It’s a matchup that means more in terms of this season for the Titans, but will tell us a lot about how much the Colts’ players can fight to win in the last three weeks. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three areas to focus on this week.
Re-Focused – Saints @ Titans, Week 14
With playoff implications in the minds of both teams, the more experienced 2009 Super Bowl champions just managed to fend off a late comeback effort led by rookie gunslinger Jake Locker. Matt Hasselbeck injured his calf early in the second quarter, but Mike Munchak described Hasselbeck’s injury as mild and he hasn’t been ruled out for Week 15. How the Titans view their playoff chances will likely factor in to the decision to start or sit Hasselbeck. In all likelihood, they’ll need to win out and get some help from a few other teams, but we’d anticipate seeing Hasselbeck out there if it’s at all possible.
With the victory and Chicago’s loss to Denver, the Saints have clinched a Playoff berth. While the 22-17 score line won’t impress, the Saints were very close to firing on all cylinders in this game: they controlled the clock; Drew Brees (+2.2) stepped up his game in the second half; the running game was effective when need be; and their run defense was closer to what we envisioned coming into the season than it has been most of the year. They did a good job converting on third downs and that ability to extend drives showed up on the drive charts. While the Saints had only four drives that produced less than 39 yards, the Titans only had four that exceeded 39 yards, including two non-scoring drives. In truth, the Saints should have won this game by a larger margin. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Saints at Titans, Week 14
While an outside shot at a division title may not have materialized with the Houston Texans riding out their quarterback storm, the Tennessee Titans are still alive in the playoff hunt. Hosting the New Orleans Saints this Sunday, they’ll have the opportunity to make a statement and shake up the pack in both the AFC and the NFC. They face an uphill struggle to make that statement with the Saints (still chasing a first round bye), but riding a recent run of three wins in four weeks, the Titans at least carry some momentum with them into this game.
Tennessee’s running game is rounding in to form and the Saints’ defense still is not firing on all cylinders. If the Titans can avoid giving up big plays to the Saints’ defense and can feed the ball to Chris Johnson to control the clock, they may feel they have a chance in this game. To do that, the Titans need to limit the Saints’ offense as well so let’s take a look at a few of the matchups that will either see the Saints keep the pressure on the 49ers in the race for the two seed in the NFC or see the Titans send a much needed shake up through what thus far has been a somewhat predictable amble towards the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Titans @ Bills, Week 13
When the Tennessee Titans travelled to Buffalo to face off with the Bills, something had to give. Both teams were clinging onto hopes of a playoff spot, with defeat almost certain to end those hopes. So it proved for a Buffalo team that not only had to deal with defeat, but walked into a changing room full of the knowledge that both the Patriots and Jets had picked up priceless victories.
A season where so little was expected at the start, and yet managed to promise so much after a Week 3 win against New England, has fizzled into something of an afterthought. Instead attention should turn to 2012, where with some key acquisitions maybe they won’t lose games like this one to a Titans team, that did enough without ever really excelling.
That has often been the case of this Tennessee team. Good enough to slow you down and put some points up, but lacking that cutting edge to put you away for good. They walked out with a victory but after looking in control for so long, and forcing key turnovers, it shouldn’t have taken a last minute stand from the defense to wrap up the win. Let’s look at some of the key performances from each team.
 |
|