After yet another loss in Week 16, with this one coming against the Seattle Seahawks, the Tennessee Titans are moving down or staying put in most of the NFL power rankings of experts going into Week 17.
We start our weekly round-up with USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, who dropped the Titans from No. 23 to No. 25. Here’s what he had to say:
25. Tennessee Titans (23): Two years in, pretty crazy they won’t even leverage an opportunity to potentially showcase QB Malik Willis to other teams.
I actually agree with Davis’ take here.
Playing Ryan Tannehill does absolutely nothing for this franchise, as the veteran signal-caller certainly won’t be here in 2024.
It would make more sense to give Malik Willis a shot, with the hope he can improve his currently non-existent trade value. Granted, he likely would’ve failed to do so, but it was worth a shot, nonetheless.
But I digress — here’s our NFL power rankings round-up for Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season.
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire: 24 (no change)
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire:
That was a heartbreaking way for the Titans to lose, but they have heart, and they embody what Mike Vrabel preaches in terms of their effort.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 22 (+2)
The Titans made it interesting against the Seahawks, but failed to close it out in the end. Ryan Tannehill was the QB but the scoring pass was thrown by Derrick Henry. Sums it all up.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 27 (-1)
This team will look a lot different next season. It will be built around Will Levis and maybe the style of play needs to change.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 28 (-1)
The Titans have been limited offensively all season with not much beyond Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins and Tyjae Spears, either running or passing. The QB has mattered little. More big changes are ahead for Mike Vrabel’s team.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 26 (-1)
It was good to see tight end Chig Okonkwo get 63 yards and a touchdown. One of the most disappointing things in the Titans season has been seeing the lack of production from young talented players like Okonkwo and Treylon Burks. Maybe that changes next season.
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: 26 (no change)
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network:
Not many games will move as slowly as the Titans’ 20-17 loss against the Seahawks. The game itself didn’t take a long time, but there were only 15 total offensive drives between the two teams.
Neither team was particularly explosive. Without Will Levis in the lineup for Tennessee, that was expected. The two teams matriculated the ball downfield, converting on third downs to keep the chains moving.
Josh Schrock, NBC Sports: 27 (+1)
The Titans currently sit in the No. 5 spot in the draft, but one win will bump them to the back end of the top 10. A meaningless win down the stretch feels inevitable.
Note: This write-up was done before the Titans fell to the No. 7 pick.
Average ranking: 26
