The Tennessee Titans are back among the upper-echelon of teams after their convincing Week 12 victory over the Indianapolis Colts that put them back in first place in the AFC South.
On the back of Derrick Henry, the Titans battered the Colts in the first half, staking themselves to a 35-14 lead — and Tennessee never looked back, ultimately securing a 45-26 victory.
After that result, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis has the Titans back in the top five of his NFL power rankings, placing Tennessee at No. 5, up three spots from last week.
Here’s what he had to say:
5. Titans (8): RB Derrick Henry is hitting high gear and, given his historical late-season production, must be considered an MVP candidate and threat to rush for 2,000 yards.
The Colts, who were at No. 6 after Week 11, fell all the way to No. 13 in these rankings thanks to the loss to the Titans.
Davis’ full top 10 is as follows:
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
- Green Bay Packers
- Tennessee Titans
- Buffalo Bills
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Miami Dolphins
Henry has already posted a league-leading 1,257 rushing yards through 11 games and we’re just hitting “DHenber,” when the Alabama product historically starts really going off.
It certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Henry breaks the 2,000-yard mark, which could be enough to secure him the league’s Most Valuable Player award if the Titans can finish strong.
At the very least, Henry looks on track to surpass the 1,540 yards he totaled last season and could win his second rushing title in a row, something that hasn’t happened since LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 2006-07.
Looks like that highly-criticized contract extension Henry received during the offseason is working out pretty well, eh?
The Titans will look to nab their third win in a row when they take on the Cleveland Browns at Nissan Stadium in Week 13.
