The Tennessee Titans are an unpopular bet to make a Super Bowl, but the weak AFC South makes it a sneaky possibility.
Mike Mularkey and the Tennessee Titans fly under the radar. Despite fielding a team led by a dominant offensive line, running game, and fielding one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, the Titans don’t attract attention when it comes to the big games.
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This is most accurately reflected in Super Bowl betting. In a mention by ESPN’s David Purdum about the Cleveland Browns having more bets than the Atlanta Falcons to win a Super Bowl, only one team had fewer bets placed on them to win: the Titans. Playing in a smaller market certainly doesn’t help, but the talent on the field should be an indicator that the Titans can make it to the top quicker than some other teams (the Browns included).
And yet they are overlooked. Despite placing second in the AFC South and tying the 9-7 Houston Texans (losing the tie-breakers), the Titans are an afterthought among most mainstream NFL analysis. Marcus Mariota and DeMarco Murray can make the highlight reel on occasion but the team itself is not often considered among the up and comers.
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With the Texans struggling to find a quarterback, the Titans have a real opportunity to become the top team in the AFC South. That gets them in the playoffs and from there anything can happen.
Over a year away from Super Bowl LII, everything suggests that the Titans at least have a chance. It isn’t going to be an easy battle but the Titans are well positioned in a weak division with the right pieces in place to possibly get by and make a run.
In a league that routinely sees clubs go from worst to first, it’s nice to see a team like the Titans patiently building the right way. Tennessee has gone from one of the worst teams in the NFL to a contender by bringing in the right talent at the right place sand guiding the young stars to maturity at their own paces, not by the arbitrarily enforced “win now” NFL norm.
While this estimate rests largely on anything happening once the Titans make the playoffs, ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky takes it a step further, calling the Titans possibly “Super Bowl-caliber” in 2017. Threatening downfield more, winning more in the division, and bringing in some more talent at cornerback are the key upgrades that Kuharsky suggests to become Super Bowl-caliber. They would all go a long way.
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If recent history suggests anything, though, it’s that the Tennessee Titans know their deficiencies and their strengths already and will invest in both. They’ve shown in the last couple of years that they are committed to building it right and the steps have started to pay off. That may bring some sneakily impressive results sooner than the casual observer expects.