The Tennessee Titans came up just one game short of a Super Bowl LIV appearance, and were the team no one wanted to face down the stretch.
They were consistently counted out as underdogs in the postseason, recording impressive victories over the New England Patriots and the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens before finally being knocked out by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Despite the disappointing ending to a storybook season, Titans fans have to be pleased with what their team accomplished in 2019.
Here’s a look at five takeaways from what Tennessee put together this season.
1. Ryan Tannehill shocked everyone.
Who can truthfully say they expected the former Dolphins signal-caller who was so lackluster in Miami to do what he’s done in Nashville this season?
Tannehill was originally signed as nothing more than an “insurance policy” for Marcus Mariota, and now it is Mariota who will almost certainly be gone from the Titans’ roster in the 2020 season, and Tannehill who is looking at potentially securing a multi-year deal or being franchise tagged ahead of the upcoming season.
Tannehill finished out the season completing on 70.3% of his pass attempts for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions over 12 games, named the starter in Week 7.
He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6), adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (10.2), yards per completion (13.6) and passer rating (117.5).
2. Logan Ryan upped his game.
There’s a reason why ESPN’s Turron Davenport named Ryan as his Titans player who leveled up in the 2019 season.
Ryan’s 4.5 sacks and his consistent presence around the football made him a defensive factor that couldn’t be ignored. As noted by Davenport, he had four interceptions after not having one in the two previous seasons, and more than doubled 2018’s total of pass breakups with 18 this season.
3. The Titans aren’t the same 9-7 team they have been in past years.
The last time the Titans made the AFC Championship Game before this year’s appearance was back in 2002.
The Titans have made the postseason multiple times since then, but haven’t looked this strong.
For the first time in a very long time, the Titans looked strong on offense with strong quarterback play from Tannehill, a practically unstoppable run game based around Henry and a defense that came up with 14 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries on the regular season.
The Titans look aggressive and like a team to contend with now, just a few small tweaks away from consistently becoming a force to be reckoned with.
4. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith exceeded the expectations.
Tannehill and Henry have received a lot of credit for the Titans’ good fortune on offense in 2019, but Smith’s play-calling was just as much of a crucial element.
Smith’s promotion to offensive coordinator wasn’t exactly well-received by many members of the fan base and reporters alike in the beginning, especially with the team’s baffling overuse of running back Dion Lewis and route designs that just didn’t make much sense.
Smith made the adjustments needed, though,
He kept players like Henry involved – which obviously worked as he finished the season with the league’s rushing title and no defense was able to stop him until Kansas City finally came up with an answer.
The Titans’ offense averaged 24.9 points per game under Smith between the regular season and the postseason, scoring 156 points in Tennessee’s last six contests.
5. Placekicker is a position of need the Titans must lend importance to.
The Titans played good, complementary football for the majority of the season, but struggled specifically at placekicker.
Titans kickers made just 44.4 percent of their attempts in 2019– the lowest mark in the NFL by a significant measure.
Ryan Succop started the season in Injured Reserve, going through the likes of Cairo Santos, Cody Parkey, Ryan Santoso, the unsuccessful return of Succop and Greg Joseph to try to remedy the issue.
Joseph is still with the team, but has had very little chance to prove what he can do.
The Titans could choose to hold onto Joseph, or put themselves in the market for a new option moving forward.
