After making an improbable playoff run during the 2019 season that saw them go all the way to the AFC Championship Game, the Tennessee Titans entered the 2020 campaign with Super Bowl aspirations for the first time in what seemed like forever.
All in all, it was a solid season for the Titans, a team that finished with double-digit wins and its first AFC South crown since 2008. However, the team’s ultimate goal of a Super Bowl was thwarted after the Baltimore Ravens eliminated Tennessee in the wild-card round.
While the Titans definitely need to make major improvements on the defensive side of the ball to take that next step, the vast majority of their elite offense is set to return, so there is a tangible baseline of hope for 2021.
As a result, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis believes the Titans have the second-best chance to win their first Super Bowl next season among teams without one, with only the Buffalo Bills ranking ahead of them.
2. Tennessee Titans (0-1 Super Bowl record): An attack spearheaded by offensive player of the year Derrick Henry, QB Ryan Tannehill and WR A.J. Brown – Tennessee averaged 31 points a game in the regular season – might even improve in 2021 with the return of Pro Bowl LT Taylor Lewan. But a defense that ranked 28th in 2020 and managed just 19 sacks must improve if the Titans don’t want 2019’s AFC title game appearance to be their high-water mark.
Here’s a look at how Davis ranked all 12 teams:
- Buffalo Bills
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Minnesota Vikings
- Atlanta Falcons
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Carolina Panthers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Detroit Lions
- Houston Texans
What makes Tennessee’s winless history in the Super Bowl even worse is how close it was in Super Bowl XXXIV. Until the franchise actually wins one, the sting of that game will be especially prominent for Titans fans.
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