Based on 2020 over/under win totals, the Tennessee Titans have one of the weakest strength of schedules in the NFL for this season.
That’s all well and good, but when looking at their schedule in its entirety, that just doesn’t seem like a good assessment.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at our picks for the five easiest games on the Titans’ 2020 schedule and you’ll see that not all of them are exactly gimmes.
Nevertheless, after what they were able to accomplish in 2019, the Titans should win each of these games.
Week 2 and 14: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Titans have owned the Jaguars in recent years, even when Jacksonville has put a good team on the field. In fact, Tennessee has beaten Jacksonville in seven of their last nine meetings dating back to 2015.
In 2020, the Jags are in rebuilding mode and lost some of their best players, and will feature a lot of young, inexperienced players on both sides of the ball. This season has cellar written all over it for the Jags.
The Jags did snag a win over the Titans 20-7 in Week 3 last season, but that was before Tennessee’s transformation upon inserting Ryan Tannehill under center. We saw what happened in the rematch later that season with Tannehill at the helm.
As long as Derrick Henry is wearing the two-tone blue, that in and of itself is the reason you shouldn’t bet against the Titans when playing the Jags, either at home or on the road.
Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals
Like the Jaguars, the Cincinnati Bengals are also rebuilding, although it must be said that they do have more talent on both sides of the ball than Jacksonville.
Regardless, the Bengals will be sporting a rookie quarterback under center in the form of No. 1 overall pick, Joe Burrow, who is sure to have growing pains in his first season and against a tricky and talented Titans defense.
With the Bengals coming off a league-worst 2-14 season, there’s nowhere to go but up from here, however expecting them to grab more than six or seven wins would be unrealistic at best.
Week 9: vs. Chicago Bears
This is the game where things get a little tricky as far as the Titans facing some of their “easy” opponents. The Bears will have a stout defense and sport some intriguing weapons on the offensive side of the ball.
The only question for the latter is will they have a quarterback who can utilize those weapons?
Chicago will have to choose between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles, neither of whom are very appealing. Even if the Titans have trouble scoring points, it might not take much to win this game.
Week 13: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Browns will also be a tricky opponent and certainly don’t fall on the easy side of most team’s 2020 schedules, but it just goes to show how difficult this Titans slate could be.
Granted, the Titans did badly expose and annihilate the Browns in Week 1 of last season, but you’d have to assume Cleveland will be better than the 6-10 product they put out last season… right?
That will all depend on Baker Mayfield playing competent football with his plethora of weapons, which is something we didn’t see in 2019. His offensive line should be improved, so that won’t be an excuse, and the defense should be good enough to keep the score in check.
Week 15: vs. Detroit Lions
Anytime Matthew Stafford is at the helm, the Lions should be considered a threat. With their weapons on offense and a competent quarterback under center, Detroit has the ability to put a ton of points on the board.
The only problem for the Lions is their defense, a unit that was among the worst in the NFL last season. Granted, Detroit has made some improvements there via the 2020 NFL Draft, but they will be without their former No. 1 corner, Darius Slay, and one of their 2019 sack leaders, Devon Kennard.
I just don’t see where the Titans are going to have an issue moving the football, either through the air or on the ground, so even a high-scoring effort from the Lions might not be enough.
