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3 things the Tennessee Titans need to address in 2022

By Russell S. Baxter

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 22: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans runs off the field following the Titans 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Nissan Stadium on January 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 22: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans runs off the field following the Titans 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Nissan Stadium on January 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Titans
Kevin Byard #31 of the Tennessee Titans reacts to a defensive stop on third down against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter of the game at Heinz Field on December 19, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

The Tennessee Titans were the AFC’s top seed in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2008. And as was the case that year, the team disappointed.

The Tennessee Titans used a slew of different players, overcame the loss of the league’s two-time rushing leader in 2019 and 2020, and still wound up winning the AFC South for the second straight year. And Mike Vrabel’s club also entered the postseason as the conference’s top playoff seed.

But for the second straight year, the club was one and done in the postseason and at home no less. A season ago, it was a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card round. This time around, the Titans fell to the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals, 19-16, in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. It was indeed a disappointing finish to a season in which the club showed some much resiliency.

So the team enters this offseason with some things to fix, as is the case for each of the 32 squads. What do the Titans need to do to get back to the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year?

3. Tennessee Titans must continue to address the secondary

While only the Baltimore Ravens allowed fewer yards per game on the ground than Mike Vrabel’s team. The Titans were much-improved than in 2020 when it came to stopping the run. A year after ranking 19th in the league in this category and giving up 120.8 yards per game rushing, Tennessee limited 17 regular-season opponents to 84.6 yards per game on the ground. And the Titans held the Bengals to 65 yards rushing in the divisional playoffs.

But in 2020, only three teams in the NFL allowed more yards through the air. Tennessee ranked 25th in the league in pass defense in ’21 and gave up 24 touchdown passes. An improved pass rush made life a bit easier for Vrabel’s secondary this year. But the Titans need to address the defensive backfield this offseason.

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