The Tennessee Titans’ journey to becoming relevant again has been filled with multiple quarterbacks, two head coaches, and a roster that’s seen plenty of changes.
And that’s just on the field.
In the deeper parts of the organization, we’ve seen a general manager change, and a shift in controlling ownership to top it all off.
But even with all the shuffling on the field and off, the Titans have put together four straight winning seasons to date, a feat nobody saw the Titans accomplishing when the franchise was stuck in purgatory during the early part of the 2010s.
Although Tennessee has found the formula to stay competitive, and even win against some of the best competition the league has to offer, along with putting their selves in good positions to make the playoffs at the end of the year, there’s always been one single blemish that’s stained an otherwise impressive few years of winning for this franchise.
9-7.
That’s the record the Titans have finished with for 4 straight years.
That isn’t a bad thing for a team trying to get back into the winning groove year to year, in fact, it’s an accurate measurement of success a lot of bad teams should be trying to at least mimic. But for a team that’s trying to take the next step and change their status from an average team to a legit contender, it’s something you have to shed from your reputation.
Well, with an 9-4 record and currently controlling their own playoff destiny, the Titans are the verge of doing just that.
The Titans took care of business today, going down to Jacksonville and walking out with a 31-10 victory over the Jaguars. Derrick Henry ran wild once again against his hometown team, rushing for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 26 carries.
The King with a nod to The King. 👑 @KingHenry_2 @KingJames
📺: #TENvsJAX on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/hQgBgSB4Qy pic.twitter.com/a7uAtP4Z5E— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2020
It was Henry’s 2nd career 200 yard performance against the Jags, one that further pushed the narrative that he’s bound to show out each time he plays against them.
AJ Brown dropped another 100 yard performance as well, and that included a showstopping one handed touchdown grab in the 1st quarter.
AJ BROWN ARE YOU KIDDING? @Brown1arthur
📺: #TENvsJAX on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/tvMsTDEOAi pic.twitter.com/3QLGjJPLRw— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2020
Even the defense played well today, holding rookie standout James Robinson to 67 yards on 12 carries. DJ Chark got the same shutdown treatment as Robinson, as he was held to just 2 catches for 16 yards.
To sum it all up, it was a performance we expected the Titans to have, and luckily for them they executed and got another win to add to their season total.
As it stands now, the Titans sit at 9-4, and are one win away from surpassing the number of wins they’ve had in each of the past 4 seasons. But the Titans know that isn’t the the main goal to be accomplished here.
In fact, this team is looking for something much more valuable than their first double digit win season since 2008.
Mike Vrabel on team's 5th-strait winning season: I think it just says we've gotten 9 wins and we've got a long way to go. We're going to have to go back to work and try to get our 10th win and keep moving from there. #Titans
— Emily Proud (@emily_proud) December 13, 2020
That’s the right attitude to have, especially since this team is still fighting for a division title. Not only that, the AFC playoff field is full of good teams vying for a playoff spot, there’s simply no room to let up and potentially fall out of the race.
However, even with the hustle and bustle of the playoff chase well underway, it doesn’t hurt to sit back and reflect on how far this organization has come.
From the cellar, to mediocrity, and now to potential AFC contender.
Not too shabby.