The Tennessee Titans are once again moving backwards in the NFL power rankings of experts after losing their second straight contest on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis is our leadoff hitter for the round-up this week. He puts Tennessee at No. 8, dropping them one spot from where they were last week. He writes:
8. Titans (7): QB Ryan Tannehill’s presence (6 INTs, 73.3 passer rating) has been quite a problem in RB Derrick Henry’s four-game absence. In fairness to Tannehill, Tennessee also has significant health issues at receiver, but he’s got to step up.
The health issues have been all over the roster, and Tannehill has been trying to operate with an unheralded receiving group, something that has proven to be a major problem.
Regardless, Tannehill isn’t absolved of all blame for his struggles. The Titans signal-caller has thrown 13 interceptions this season, which ties his combined total from 2019 and 2020.
Now, on to the rest of our round-up, which shows that the Titans are still getting a fair amount of respect despite their recent losses.
Nick Wojton, Touchdown Wire: 6 (-1)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Wojton: The Titans hung tough early but it simply appeared that their injury bug was far too vast for them to overcome in New England this week. The first key to doing so is not turning the ball over. Tennessee rushers had three fumbles while QB Ryan Tannehill also tossed an interception.
Barry Werner, The List Wire: 8 (-4)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Werner: Tennessee proved it can lose to a good team, too. Those losses to the Jets and Jaguars could come back to haunt when it comes to playoff positioning. Next: Bye Week
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 6 (-3)
AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
Iyer: The Titans have done an admirable job trying to replace the big rushing production of Derrick Henry, but now they have little left in the passing game for Ryan Tannehill, while their major weaknesses in pass defense get further exposed. Without A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, it’s hard for them to have any chance in higher-scoring games.
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: 17 (-9)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Miller: This team is completely broken. The Titans are down their only three offensive weapons. They’re the victims of awful injury luck, but that’s the risk you take when you frontload a roster and lack all semblance of depth.
Tennessee ran the crap out of the ball this week. They totaled 39 carries and averaged nearly 7 yards per attempt.
Let me put that differently: the Titans ran for 270 yards without Derrick “King” Henry against a fantastic Patriots defense. Yet, they could only muster 13 points. Somewhere out there, crazy-eyes Adam Gase is feeling all sorts of vindication after that putrid outing from Ryan Tannehill.
At this point, I’d be surprised if the Colts didn’t catch the Titans in the AFC South. It’s a sobering example of just how much injuries dictate success or failure in this league.
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: 12 (-4)
AP Photo/Wade Payne
Hanzus: The Titans can’t seem to stop the bleeding right now. Mike Vrabel’s team turned the ball over four times in Sunday’s 36-13 loss to the Patriots, a level of sloppiness that simply won’t play for an injury-wracked team working with such a small margin for error. Ryan Tannehill continued to struggle without his promised complement of weapons, but there was good news in the form of a running game that piled up 270 yards against New England’s stout defense. It was the first time the ground attack has shown life since Derrick Henry hit injured reserve. The Week 13 bye comes at an opportune time for a team that desperately needs to get healthy.
NFL Nation, ESPN: 8 (-5)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Turron Davenport: The major change for the Titans has obviously been injuries. They’ve now rostered 86 players this season, which is an NFL record. The “next man up” approach can only go so far. The past two weeks have been brutal. Zero takeaways paired with nine turnovers are a recipe for back-to-back losses. However, there is still reason to be confident because of how well the Titans ran for 270 yards against the Patriots. Even without Derrick Henry, Tennessee’s foundation is running the ball. And getting wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones back down the line will help in a major way. Also, the defense has shown it can be game-changing, even more so once Bud Dupree returns.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 9 (-5)
AP Photo/Steven Senne
Prisco: They were just too undermanned against the Patriots. The injuries are killing this team, but they still have a cushion in the division.
Josh Schrock, NBC Sports: 11 (-3)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Schrock: This isn’t the Titans team that ripped through the best teams in the AFC. With no Derrick Henry, no A.J. Brown, and no Julio Jones, Ryan Tannehill is on his own with a bunch of practice squad staples and training camp hopefuls.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 12 (-2)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Schwab: The Titans still have games against the Jaguars and Texans remaining. That might save them from a total free fall. It’s not their fault, they were an offense built heavily around three stars and all three are out. They can’t compete on offense without Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones.
