The official 2020 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday night, but we already know who the Tennessee Titans’ opponents will be this coming season.
On paper, the Titans have a pretty tough schedule filled with playoff teams from a season ago, as well as other teams who appear to be trending upward.
From easiest to toughest, we’re going to rank every Titans opponent for this coming season.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
Even when the Jaguars are considered a good team the Titans tend to dominate them. That may continue no matter what the Jags do as long as Derrick Henry is still in a Titans uniform.
Tennessee dropped its first meeting with Jacksonville last season while the team was in total disarray offensively, but things went back to normal later in the season with Ryan Tannehill at the helm.
With the Jags rebuilding in 2020, the Titans should be able to grab a pair of wins from their division rival.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
Like the Jags, the Cincinnati Bengals are in rebuilding mode in 2020, but they do have a new franchise quarterback in No. 1 overall pick, Joe Burrow.
The Bengals have some dangerous weapons on offense, but rookie mistakes coming from Burrow will be inevitable and the Titans should be able to do as they please with Cincy’s defense.
Circle this game as one the Titans should win this season.
11. Detroit Lions
As long as Matthew Stafford is under center for the Detroit Lions, they are always going to be a dangerous team offensively. However, the team’s Achilles’ heel remains its defense, which just lost top cornerback Darius Slay this offseason.
Granted, the team did add Jeff Okudah to take his place and Julian Okwara at EDGE, but it’s doubtful either rookie will be able to make enough of an impact right away to change the course of the Lions’ season.
Adding to all that, the Lions can be run on, which is the biggest strength the Titans possess offensively.
10. Chicago Bears
If there’s one thing the Chicago Bears can hang their hat on in 2020, it’s their defense, which always seems to be stout in recent years.
On the flip side, the team’s offense has a major question mark at the most important position in sports.
We still don’t know who the starting quarterback will be between Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky, but neither are very appealing or dangerous enough to use Chicago’s offensive weapons to their advantage.
If it’s Foles, the Titans saw first hand just how to stop him last season when he was a member of the Jaguars.
9. Cleveland Browns
Just like last season, there will be some hype around the Cleveland Browns, a team that has plenty of juice on the offensive side of the ball, particularly in the passing game.
The only question is will Baker Mayfield be able to get his act together in order to actually use those weapons?
He was a disaster when the Titans blew the doors off the Browns in Week 1 last season, setting the tone for the rest of his season. Mayfield should have an improved offensive line, though, partly because of the addition of former Titans right tackle, Jack Conklin.
The Browns will no doubt be looking for revenge in this matchup. The good news is that the game will be in Nashville and the Titans will have their offensive line at full strength, which wasn’t the case last time around.
8. Denver Broncos
If the Denver Broncos’ finish to the 2019 campaign was indicative of anything, it’s that this is a team on the rise. Even with a lack of weapons on offense, quarterback Drew Lock showed flashes of being Denver’s answer at the position.
Fast forward to 2020 and the Broncos have added several weapons on offense for Lock, and Denver will sport their normally stingy defense led by superstar pass-rusher, Von Miller.
At the very least, the Broncos are going to be a difficult out in 2020.
7. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings lost a key offensive weapon in Stefon Diggs this offseason and will have a pair of rookies at the cornerback position, one of which, Jeff Gladney, will start.
Regardless, Minnesota usually sports a solid defense overall and their ground attack led by Dalvin Cook is among the best in the NFL. With Kirk Cousins at the helm, the Vikings are going to be in the hunt for a division crown and a playoff spot in 2020.
6. Houston Texans
Nobody was happier than the Titans to see superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a player who has tortured Tennessee for years, get traded to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Texans’ solution for his departure? Brandin Cooks, who is a good receiver but not on the same level as Hopkins.
On defense, Houston also lost defensive lineman D.J. Reader, leaving a big hole upfront. Nothing about the Texans’ defense is scary and the Titans should be able to put points up on their division rivals.
If nothing else, divisional games are always tough or else the Texans might be a bit lower on this list.
5. Green Bay Packers
As long as Aaron Rodgers is playing football, the Green Bay Packers are always going to be a competitive team. The only reason they aren’t higher on this list is because of their lack of weapons for Rodgers to throw to.
Instead of addressing the wide receiver position — arguably the team’s biggest need — with a historically deep class, the Packers puzzlingly drafted a quarterback and running back with their first two picks. In fact, they didn’t add a single wideout during the three-day event.
Again, Rodgers will always help the Packers be good, and Green Bay’s defense can get after it with the Smith brothers running things. Passing game weapons or not, Green Bay will be a tough contest for Tennessee.
4. Indianapolis Colts
One of the biggest issues for the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 was the quarterback, which was addressed during the offseason with the free-agent signing of veteran signal-caller, Philip Rivers. In my opinion, that is a huge upgrade for the Colts, regardless of what Rivers did last season.
With Rivers and a slew of new weapons on offense to go along with an elite offensive line, the Colts should be much-improved on that side of the ball in 2020. Not to mention, Indy’s defense is solid and was a bit underrated after the way it played last season.
3. Buffalo Bills
The biggest addition of the Buffalo Bills’ offseason came in the form of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who will be a big upgrade at the position. Now all that’s left is for quarterback Josh Allen to take that next step and fully utilize his new toy.
Even if Allen doesn’t play well, the Bills have the kind of elite defense to cover for his mistakes. Like most teams, the Titans are going to have a difficult time scoring points in this matchup.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished just behind the Titans for the final playoff spot in the AFC in 2019, which was impressive when you consider they didn’t have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for all but two games.
Add Big Ben back in the mix to go along with a stout defense and the Steelers are going to be a very good team this season. If not for the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers would be a lock to win the AFC North.
With that said, it’s quite possible Pittsburgh and Tennessee are once again vying for the two final playoff spots in the conference in 2020.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The AFC’s No. 1 seed from a season ago, the Baltimore Ravens are going to be incredibly motivated after being sent home early in the playoffs last season by none other than the Titans.
Baltimore’s defense was already among the most complete in the NFL before making additions during the offseason that should make it even better.
Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson presents a whole host of issues for opponents by himself. With a stellar ground game to support him and some impressive weapons through the air, the Ravens are going to be an elite team on both sides of the ball.
