Tennessee Titans should be AFC favorites to win Super Bowl LVI
By: Jake Rajala
The Tennessee Titans appeared to be an AFC juggernaut with an incredible record of 8-2 with victories against the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams. The Titans took a downhill turn since their win against the Saints, as they’ve obtained a 3-5 record since. With that said, the Titans have appeared to turn up the heat by winning each of their last two games ”“ notably against playoff aimed squads in the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins.
The Titans currently hold the number one seed in the AFC. If the Titans can edge out the Houston Texans in Week 18 with 2020 Offensive Player of The Year Derrick Henry back in the fold, they will be sitting pretty with a bye week in their hands. With that stated, the Titans might just be Super Bowl favorites (AFC and NFC) at this early point of January. I’m going to simply outline 3 reasons why the Titans can win their first Super Bowl and capture Super Bowl LVI.
- Rise of Harold Landry
Harold Landry has easily been the biggest breakout player for the Tennesee Titans. The speed rusher has really come onto the scene in his fourth season. Landry surprisingly boasts a whopping 12 sacks on the season, which places him ninth in the NFL and seventh in the AFC in individual sacks.
His presence has notably been on point against supreme competitors. Landry had two sacks against the Bills, a sack against the Chiefs, a sack against the Saints, one sack against Colts, and another sack against the Dolphins. Landry is a greek god-like edge rusher in the NFL and he ousts his production on a defense ranked 31st in yards per game allowed. It’s undeniable how important his presence is for the Titans. Trust in Landry against potential foes like Kansas City, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Green Bay.
- Kevin Byard
Say hello to the AFC defensive player of the month in November. Kevin Byard has five interceptions on the season and he’s arguably a Top 3 safety in the league. The range of the Byard is a critical benefit of the AFC team that has crippled the Chiefs deep passing game on numerous occasions. If Landry can feast at DE and Byard can hold his ground on the backend, it will be hard for the likes of Patrick Mahomes to knock out 30+ points.
- A fresh Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry isn’t only the best RB in the league at the moment, but he will be the freshest RB out of the Top 10 RBs in the NFL. Cam Akers will be joining the LA Rams in their pursuit for Super Bowl glory and the 6’4 225 DL/RB in Derrick Henry will be joining the Titans for their AFC championship aspirations.
We’ve seen Marshawn Lynch and CJ Anderson look like they turned back the clock in their first season reps in the postseason. I can’t wait to see what a Top 8 RB in NFL history can do with a much less beaten-up pair of legs in the 2022 NFL postseason.
If the Titans look in sync and are able to blow the doors of the Texans, Mike Vrabel’s squad should put the whole league on notice. If a slightly more positive outcome happens next week and the Titans are sitting with the world in their hands with the #1 seed, the AFC will know the Titans are well-rested and they are the same caliber squad that was on display in the first several weeks of the season.