2021 Tennessee Titans: The Class of the Division

The Titans won their first AFC South division title since 2008 last year. They spent the offseason revamping a defense that underperformed a year ago and dealing with some losses in free agency. But, this is a franchise that is stable and they still have Derrick Henry who arguably might be the best offensive player in the NFL not named Patrick Mahomes. If their retooled defense gels and plays at a higher level in 2021, they should easily win the division.

On offense, everyone thinks of Henry and rightly so, but quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 3819 and 33 touchdowns while throwing only 7 interceptions. Every team in the league would accept that. Henry rushed for 2027 yards which was the 5th most in NFL history and he is just entering his prime at age 27. The receiving corps has A.J. Brown who has emerged as a star (70 catches for 1075 yards and 11 TDs) but the room gets cloudy after him as free agency wiped out his buddies. This will be a problem if someone doesn’t emerge in training camp. The offensive line suffered through a lot of injuries in 2020 but still held up. If they can stay injury free, they should be even better.

The defensive line is pretty nameless and they need someone to step up. They are depending on Jeffrey Simmons to become more consistent and hope the acquisition of Denico Autry can be a big help. At linebacker, they signed free-agent Bud Dupree and they are hoping he can be a force taking some of the pressure off of Harold Landry. The secondary has only one starter back from year ago, free safety, Kenny Vaccaro. They have a complete make-over with that group and it remains to be seen how that will work out.

Must Wins: Arizona, Indianapolis, New Orleans,Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, at NY Jets, at Jacksonville, at Houston

Toss-Up Games: Buffalo, Kansas City, SanFrancisco, at Indianapolis, at New England, at Pittsburgh

Probable Losses: at Seattle, at LA Rams

Summary in Two Sentences: The Titans have an identity and a formula that they follow. If they can improve their defense, they have a chance at a very good season.