The Tennessee Titans’ 2019 season came to a bit of a premature end as the team looked to make a Super Bowl run, but it’s impossible to ignore the way they turned things around after a dismal 2-4 start.
But who is to credit most for that?
Obviously, the Titans’ run of success came down to a team effort and good decisions by the coaching staff, but if we’re placing the turnaround on the shoulders of any one player, two come to mind instantly.
MVP: RB Derrick Henry
No player was more important to the Titans’ playoff run than Henry, who couldn’t be contained until the Kansas City Chiefs finally found a way to tame the beast in their 35-24 AFC Championship Game win.
Henry finished out the regular season with the NFL’s rushing title over Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, totaling 1,540 yards on the ground.
Through the postseason, the Titans hardly passed the ball, almost completely reliant upon Henry’s efforts on the rushing attack that totaled 446 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Runner-up: QB Ryan Tannehill
Henry may have been a major asset in the ground game and largely propelled the Tennessee offense through the postseason, but the spark on offense truly ignited when Tannehill took the reins from Marcus Mariota in the third quarter of Week 6’s loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Titans never looked back because Tannehill never gave them the slightest reason to.
He finished the regular season with the highest passer rating in the NFL (117.5), throwing for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Tannehill was also effective and gutsy as a runner, recording 43 carries for 185 yards and four touchdowns in 2019.
The future for Tannehill with the Titans remains unclear, but giving him an extension seems like the best way for the team to set its offense up for success in the coming season.
