Aside from the actual games, the NFL is all about storylines, and the Tennessee Titans have no shortage of interesting ones to watch unfold during the 2020 campaign.
From facing old teammates to avenging losses and avoiding revenge from teams they beat in 2019, you couldn’t script it any better than some of the storylines coming from the Titans’ 2020 matchups.
Here’s a look at the most interesting one from each game of the coming season.
Week 1 at Denver Broncos: Jurrell Casey revenge game
The Titans parted ways with one of the best defenders in franchise history earlier this offseason after trading Jurrell Casey away to the Denver Broncos for a seventh-round pick.
It won’t take long for the Titans to see their old friend, as the Titans will visit Casey and the Broncos in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. The veteran will be highly motivated and immediately have a chance to prove his old team made a big mistake.
On the flip side, this will be an emotional night for Titans fans who were sad to see Casey go, which is pretty much every single one.
There’s a revenge factor here for the Titans, also. Denver shut out Tennessee in the Week 6 meeting last season, which was the last game Marcus Mariota ever started for the Titans.
Week 2 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Can The King rule again?
No single player in the NFL has had the Jacksonville Jaguars’ number like Derrick Henry has the past few seasons. Tennessee is 6-2 against the Jags since drafting Henry, and the running back has a total of 857 yards (714 rushing) and 10 touchdowns in that span.
The Jags were able to keep Henry in check in Week 2 last season, but he later went on to gash them for 159 yards and two scores in Week 14.
In 2018, Henry had his record-breaking 99-yard touchdown run versus Jacksonville in a Week 14 game that saw him stiff-arm just about every Jaguars defender en route to totaling 238 yards and four scores.
Week 3 at Minnesota Vikings: Tajae Sharpe revenge game
Tajae Sharpe didn’t exactly pan out the way the Titans hoped he would, and as a result the team let him go in free agency this offseason. Sharpe went on to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, a team the Titans will face in Week 3.
It remains to be seen what kind of role Sharpe will have in Minnesota, but there’s no question he’d love to stick it to his former teammates in this one.
An interesting side note: the last time the Titans played the Vikings was in 2016 and Sharpe was Tennessee’s leading receiver in that game.
We’ll also get a look at a fan-favorite in Jeff Gladney, the TCU corner that an overwhelming amount of Titans fans wanted the team to pick at No. 29 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Week 4 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben is back
Despite not having Ben Roethlisberger for all but two games last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly made the playoffs. And who did they finish just behind in the playoff race? That’s right, the Titans.
The Steelers should be vastly improved with their franchise quarterback at the helm, but exactly how much does Big Ben have left in the tank at 38 years old? The Titans are going to find out first hand in Week 4.
The last time Roethlisberger faced the Titans was in 2017 when he threw for 299 yards and four scores in a 40-17 win.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills: Revenge in Nashville
Even considering the Titans were shut out in a different game last season, the loss to the Buffalo Bills still might have been the worst defeat of the 2019 season.
The game saw Nissan Stadium embarrassingly invaded by Bills fans to the point where it sounded like a road game. It was a terrible look for the Titans’ fan base.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the Titans scored just seven points and lost, and some Bills players talked trash afterwards that resulted in a Twitter spat between Taylor Lewan and some of Buffalo’s defenders.
In terms of revenge games, this is one Titans fans should have circled on their calendars.
Week 6 vs. Houston Texans: Life after DeAndre Hopkins
Nobody was happier to see DeAndre Hopkins get traded away from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals more than the Titans. After all, Hopkins’ career numbers against Tennessee were staggering.
In 13 career contests against the Titans, Hopkins totaled 83 catches for 1,313 yards (101 yards per game) and seven touchdowns.
Will another receiver step up in Hopkins’ absence for the Texans and dominate the Titans way he used to? It’ll be up to guys like Will Fuller, Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks to pick up where Hopkins left off.
Week 8 at Cincinnati Bengals: First look at Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals made Joe Burrow the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Week 8 is going to be the first time the Titans get a look at him.
To add a bit more intrigue to this matchup, Burrow might have to throw into coverage against Titans second-round pick and cornerback Kristian Fulton, who was Burrow’s former teammate at LSU.
Fulton is certainly looking forward to the opportunity, as he recently said on the Official Titans Podcast when asked which former teammate he most wanted to see.
“I definitely got to go with Joe,” Fulton said “Number-one pick. Teammate. I’m definitely looking forward to playing against him.”
Week 9 vs. Chicago Bears: Who’s at quarterback?
The Chicago Bears have a mostly solid roster all around if they can stay healthy, and in particular on the defensive side of the ball.
However, the biggest question mark this team has is at the most important position on the field: quarterback.
It remains to be seen who will win the competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, but based on the history of both players, there’s no guarantee either will be able to keep the starting job once they get it.
If a quarterback carousel ensues during the season, the Titans might not know who will be starting for Chicago right away. Tennessee does have some familiarity with Foles already, as he played with the Jags last season, albeit ineffectively.
The Titans will also have to meet Allen Robinson once again for the first time since 2016. Let’s not forget that Robinson absolutely dominated the Titans during his time in Jacksonville, totaling 110.2 yards per game in his five career matchups with Tennessee.
Week 10 vs. Indianapolis Colts: First look at Philip Rivers
Well, this isn’t exactly the very first look the Titans will get at Philip Rivers, as Tennessee squared off with him as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. But this is the first look the Titans get at Rivers as a member of their division rival Indianapolis Colts.
The Titans got a reprieve last season after Andrew Luck decided to unexpectedly retire, leaving Jacoby Brissett in his place. To put things nicely, the Colts’ offense was a shell of itself with Brissett under center.
While Rivers did struggle mightily last season, he had a pretty solid game against the Titans in Week 7 (329 yards, two touchdowns) and was literally less than one yard away from beating them.
In 2020, Rivers has a much better offensive line to protect him in Indy and solid weapons to work with. He should be an upgrade over Brissett, which will make Tennessee’s job tougher.
Week 11 at Baltimore Ravens: Divisional Round rematch
The Titans shocked the world last season when they upset the seemingly unbeatable Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. The Ravens, led by a high-powered offense and the NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson, had their 14-2 season spoiled at the hands of the upstart Titans.
This is a game every Ravens fan has circled on their calendar, and while the sting of getting knocked out of the playoffs won’t be relieved by a regular season win, it’ll certainly help.
The Titans will have to face the Ravens on the road in what will be an incredibly hostile environment. After a brief hiatus, the Titans-Ravens rivalry is once again alive and well.
Week 12 at Indianapolis Colts: Short turnaround
It won’t be long until the Titans get a second look at Rivers and the Colts, as these two teams will meet twice in three weeks, just like the Titans had to do with the Texans in 2019 (Weeks 15 and 17).
Will the losing team from Week 10 be able to avenge their loss? Or will one team get two crucial divisional wins out of this matchup? We’ll find out in Week 12.
Week 13 vs. Cleveland Browns: The return of Jack Conklin
The biggest Titans free agent to jump ship this offseason was undoubtedly right tackle Jack Conklin, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Not only will it be interesting to see how well Conklin plays against his former mates, but there will undoubtedly be comparisons between Conklin’s play in 2019 and the play of his replacement in 2020, whether that be Dennis Kelly or rookie Isaiah Wilson.
Adding to the intrigue of this contest, the Browns still have a sour taste in their mouths after the Titans trounced them 43-13 in their own building in the season opener in 2019.
Week 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars: Playing out the string?
If there was one thing that was apparent in the Titans’ Week 14 game against the Jaguars last season, it was that Jacksonville had totally given up with nothing to play for. It also didn’t help that the Titans were simply the better team.
With the Jaguars in the midst of yet another rebuild and likely to be out of the playoff hunt at this point, will head coach Doug Marrone get the best out of his squad? Even if he does, it still might not be enough to beat the Titans.
Week 15 vs. Detroit Lions: First look at Jeff Okudah
The Titans will face two of the top three picks from this year’s draft, with the second coming in Week 15 against No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah and the Detroit Lions.
Okudah is going to have big shoes to fill in his rookie season, as the cornerback is replacing veteran shutdown corner Darius Slay, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
We’ll also see the return of Matthew Stafford, who missed the Lions’ final eight games of the regular season in 2019.
The last time the Titans faced the Lions was in 2016, a game in which Tennessee won, 16-15. Stafford wasn’t great in that contest, as he threw for just 260 yards and one touchdown to one pick.
Week 16 at Green Bay Packers: We hardly knew ya, Matt LaFleur
This game has a few interesting storylines to go along with it.
The most intriguing of the bunch comes from the fact that the Green Bay Packers’ head coach, Matt LaFleur, was the Titans’ former offensive coordinator in 2018 before taking the lead job in Green Bay in 2019, which sent the Titans on yet another search for an OC.
This will also be the first game the Titans have played in Lambeau Field since 2012 when Green Bay romped Tennessee, 55-7. This contest pitting the Titans against Aaron Rodgers and Co. will also get a prime-time slot, with the game set to take place on Sunday Night Football.
Week 17 at Houston Texans: For all the marbles
Hopefully the Titans have a playoff spot wrapped up before this game, but with the way things have gone in recent years, you just know it won’t be that easy.
Instead, the Titans will likely have the AFC South or a wild card spot on the line in a Week 17 matchup with the Houston Texans, just like they had in 2019. The Titans were able to answer the bell last season, but that was with the Texans benching their most important players.
Nothing would satisfy Titans fans more than to see a win in this game that results in not only an AFC South crown or a wild card spot, but also an elimination of the Texans from playoff contention.
