Tennessee Titans: Eye-Opening Matchups on 2012 NFL Schedule

The NFL released the always anticipated schedule for 2012, and the Tennessee Titans will have plenty of challenges in Mike Munchak's second season at the helm.

The much-needed bye week won't come until over halfway through the season.

Another thing that is really interesting about this schedule is how tough it will be for the Titans right out of the gate, with three of their first four games coming against 2011 playoff teams.

That could mean a bad start to the season and the Jake Locker show beginning closely after that potentially bad start.

However, that's a conversation for another day.

September 9, Noon CT: Patriots at Titans

Nothing can be more eye-opening for your team when looking over your upcoming schedule than to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots as your first opponent.

The Patriots are probably looking at this game as an appetizer to the rest of the regular season, but the Titans couldn't catch the defending AFC champions at a better time.

Upsets are always more likely to occur earlier in the season, when teams are still getting up to speed on everything.

The Titans did that last year by upsetting the Baltimore Ravens in shockingly convincing fashion in Week 2 last season.

Obviously the Ravens were the better team, but they fell on the Titans schedule way before they started playing their best football.

That could end up being the case for the Patriots, setting up a statement win for Mike Munchak's short coaching career.

September 23, Noon CT: Lions at Titans

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz will make his return to Nashville to meet his former team, and his nasty defense will make things extremely difficult for whoever is at quarterback.

The Lions fell apart last season, but they'll once again be back in the mix for a playoff spot in 2012.

With the Titans already coming off tough games against the Patriots and the Chargers, this could end up being a must-win for the Titans.

How's this for your first three quarterback opponents? Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Matthew Stafford.

October 11, 7:20 PM CT: Steelers at Titans

Once again, the Titans and the Steelers will meet in the regular season, with the Steelers getting the best of the Titans in a majority of those recent meetings.

This will mark the first primetime game for the Titans in the Munchak era, as it will be televised on NFL Network for its Thursday night telecast.

By this point, we'll have a good idea of where the Titans are going.

The Steelers are still a formidable opponent, but they're not as scary as they once were. However, the Titans will be coming off short rest after playing that previous Sunday against the Vikings.

October 28, Noon CT: Colts at Titans

It's definitely going to be a good year if you're a fan of quarterback play and you have Titans season tickets.

This will most likely mark Andrew Luck's first visit to LP Field. Even though the Colts are not expected to be contenders, it will be interesting to see how Luck is performing by the midway point of the season.

Both of these teams could be all but out of it by this point, which means a Luck versus Locker quarterback matchup could happen here.

December 17, 7:30 PM CT: Jets at Titans (MNF)

The Titans will finally return to the Monday Night Football stage, but will Tim Tebow have already dethroned Mark Sanchez by this point?

Last season, the Titans were lucky enough, or unlucky enough, to catch the Broncos before the Tebow experiment began.

With this game being late in the season, the odds are higher that the Jets will have given up on Sanchez.

Let the circus begin if that ends up being the case.

It's also quite possible that the Titans will be far out of the playoff hunt by this point, which almost certainly guarantees Locker will be the starter.

There's no way to dance around the fact that the Titans have a brutal schedule and will be lucky to survive it.

December 23, Noon CT: Titans at Packers

Look at what the Titans get as an early Christmas present. A trip to Lambeau Field in the middle of December to face Aaron Rodgers.

As if the schedule weren't brutal enough, the Packers will put the icing on the cake for a Titans team that will definitely be battle tested by this time.

If somehow the Titans are still competing for a playoff spot, then I guarantee teams won't want to play them in the postseason.

The only thing good about where this game falls is that the Packers could in effect have nothing to play for, giving the Titans a better chance at winning on the frozen tundra.