Tennessee Titans: 2012 Schedule and Quick Hit Thoughts

The NFL released the complete 2012 schedule for the Tennessee Titans Tuesday night.

I'll post a game by game prediction for the Titans in the next few days, but here are my quick-hit thoughts.

• Back and Forth: The Titans don't have too many tough road trips, nor do they face many consecutive road games. After Week 5, they don't play back to back road games the rest of the season. This should keep the Titans from suffering any lengthy losing streaks and gives their schedule an insular feeling. *Clarification Note: week 12 and 14 are back to back road games, but are separated by a bye, avoiding the rigors of consecutive travel weeks.

• Catching a Break : I mentioned their game with the Steelers earlier, but the Titans really got lucky facing Pittsburgh on a Thursday night. Steeler Nation is everywhere, but you have to expect fewer fans to drive down from Pennsylvania for a weekday night game. Pittsburgh fans have a way of infiltrating the stadium, so not playing them on a weekend could help.

• Survive and Advance: Opening with the Patriots, Chargers on the road, Lions, and Texans is a bum draw for the Titans. San Diego is the weakest team of the bunch, but West Coast road trips are never easy. This is a brutal opening set for the Titans, but even a 2-2 start could end up paving the way to the playoffs.

Here is the complete schedule.

Week 1: New England

Week 2: @ San Diego

Week 3: Detroit

Week 4: @ Houston

Week 5: @ Minnesota

Week 6: Pittsburgh (Thursday Night Football)

Week 7: @ Buffalo

Week 8: Indianapolis

Week 9: Chicago

Week 10: @ Miami

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: @ Jacksonville

Week 13: Houston

Week 14: @ Indianapolis

Week 15: New York Jets (Monday Night Football)

Week 16: @ Green Bay

Week 17: Jacksonville