Tennessee Titans: 10 Reasons Fans Should Still Be Thinking Playoffs
After this past week's loss to the Dolphins it would be very easy to lose hope on the Titans. After all a two-game losing streak never does good things for a fan's psyche.
With the signing of Randy Moss during the bye week many people were thinking playoffs and possibly Super Bowl. Those feelings are hard to find right now.
However, there's plenty of reasons why it's not time to jump ship on the Titans making the playoffs this season, despite their current struggles.
Vince Young Still Playing Very Consistent Football
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Everyone keeps talking about how Michael Vick has no interceptions this season, but what about Vince Young who's only thrown an interception in two games this season.
Sunday's loss to the Dolphins snapped a streak of five straight games without an interception. Even after that tough game against the Dolphins, Young's quarterback rating still sits at an impressive 97.6.
I'll contend that if Young would've started that game against the Dolphins then the result may have been different. His throws looked much more crisp than Kerry Collins' throws.
Hopefully Young will be able to get 100 percent healthy this week in preparation for Washington this Sunday.
Chris Johnson Should Continue To Get More Running Room
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Well Randy Moss may not have directly impacted the game against the Dolphins, but he definitely made life a little easier for Chris Johnson.
We all saw how excited Johnson was at the news of possibly signing Moss and now we know why.
It was very clear that Johnson had more room to operate in between the tackles and it helped him finish with a yards per carry average of nearly seven yards. That tied his highest game average of the season.
Johnson was really the only reason the Titans even had a sign of a pulse on offense and that trend should continue as long as Moss is lining up on the outside.
It may be too late for Johnson to reach his previously stated goal of 2,500 rushing yards, but it's not too late to make a push for the playoffs.
Rush Defense Still Playing Strong
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If not for the stingy Titans run defense, then the Dolphins could have made this game look a lot worse than 29-17.
The Dolphins struggled to find a rhythm through their running game as they were held to less than three yards a carry.
The Titans run defense may not be as dominant as they have been in recent years, but they're still doing a solid job at making teams depend on the pass.
There's still some good running backs left on the schedule, including two dates with the NFL's leading rusher in Arian Foster.
If the Titans want to win those two important divisional games against the Texans then they'll have to shut down Foster.
This rush defense has a lot of weight on its shoulders to pick up the slack of the 25th ranked pass defense, but I know they're up for the challenge.
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Five Divisional Games Remain
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The Titans still completely control their own destiny thanks to the fact that the second half of the schedule is overloaded with divisional games.
Five of their last seven games are against AFC South foes.
With their most recent loss to the Dolphins, the Titans now sit one game back of the Colts. They're tied with the Jaguars, but own the tiebreaker. The Texans sit just one game back despite their current losing skid.
There's still a lot of shuffling that's going to occur over the remaining seven games in the AFC South. If the Titans can just figure out a way to split with the injury-riddled Colts, and take care of business against the Texans and the Jaguars, then that will put them in a great position to win the division.
It's going to be very tough to get in the playoffs without winning the AFC South, because either the AFC East or the AFC North will send two teams to the playoffs.
Four Of Next Five At Home
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The Titans may only be 2-2 at home this season, but it's still a huge advantage to play at home. In fact, four of the next five on the schedule are at home.
Fortunately for the Titans they've played well on the road posting a record of 3-2.
It's vital that the Titans play well on this last home stretch, because the last thing you want is going into the final two games of the season needing wins at Arrowhead and Lucas Oil Stadium.
They'll get the opportunity to get back above .500 at home with Donovan McNabb and the Redskins coming to the Music City this Sunday.
The Redskins are 2-2 on the road this season.
Opportunistic Defense
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Forcing turnovers has always been a specialty of a Titans defense and this season has been no different.
The Titans have forced 11 fumbles and 14 interceptions, which is among the league leaders. It's a primary reason the Titans are averaging so many points per game despite having a total offense that ranks only 27th in the NFL.
Cortland Finnegan added to that turnover total against the Dolphins after grabbing his second interception of the season.
They face a struggling quarterback in Donovan McNabb this Sunday so it will be important of this defense to force turnovers and give the offense a short field to work with.
Defensive Line Continues To Get To The Quarterback
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Jason Babin and Tony Brown had another solid game for the Titans defensive line.
These guys are the heart and soul of this defense and they'll be critical in their two meeting with the Colts and the Texans. Both the Colts and the Texans have dangerous pass offenses and the defensive line will have to make life as uncomfortable as possible for their quarterbacks.
We all know how dangerous Peyton Manning is when he gets a solid pocket to throw the ball in. Matt Schaub can be just as dangerous at times.
If the defensive line can do what they're capable of then it will makes things so much easier on our struggling secondary. Look for them to do that for the remainder of the season.
Randy Moss Can Break Out At Any Moment
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It wasn't exactly the debut fans may have hoped for with Randy Moss, but there's no reason to panic on the decision to pick him up off waivers.
There's a reason why he's put up the career numbers that he has and it's because he's always capable of having that one big game.
The Titans have always lacked that kind of a wide receiver, although Kenny Britt is quickly emerging as one in his own right.
As long as Moss is lining up on the outside, the Titans are a dangerous team on offense. Vince Young has the arm strength to get the ball downfield. It's just a question of Young continuing to improve his accuracy.
Before the acquisition of Moss, the Titans were not a come-from-behind team. Now that we have a legitimate deep threat, we're always capable of scoring a couple quick touchdowns to get back into a game.
Kenny Britt Should Return Before The End Of The Season
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That hamstring injury to Kenny Britt was a tough pill to swallow, but all is not lost here.
It was a nasty injury, but I think there's plenty of time left in the season for him to return. There's still no exact date for his return, but more information will probably come from Jeff Fisher as the week progresses.
Without Britt in the lineup, the Titans lose their primary scoring threat inside the redzone. We desperately need him back in time for the big divisional games down the stretch.
The first game with the Colts sits just three weeks away—hopefully Britt will be healthy enough by then.
Imagine how potent the Titans passing attack will be with two deep receivers like Britt and Randy Moss on the field. Defenses will be forced to hold back on their blitzes, which will open up things even more for Chris Johnson.
Plus Vince Young and Britt built a lot of chemistry when Britt went down against the Chargers.
Titans Always Finish Season Strong
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It hasn't been since 2005 that the Titans have posted a record below .500 in their final seven games. Since 2006, the Titans are 12-6 in December games.
A lot of that can be contributed to the coaching of Jeff Fisher. Some people say he's too conservative, but he's always been good at making adjustments as the season comes down to a close.
The Titans are in need of a lot of adjustments as of right now and I expect Fisher to effectively address those to help the Titans finish strong once again.
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