Tennessee Titans: 10 Reasons This Titans Team Is Still in the Playoff Hunt

The Tennessee Titans entered the 2011 regular season at the bottom of almost every NFL power ranking list. There were no real expectations for a 6-10 team with a new quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, and new head coach, Mike Munchak.

Riding a hot start, a rediscovered run game and a no-name defense, Tennessee has found themselves in contention for the postseason with four games left in the regular season.

Ahead are 10 reasons the Titans are still in the hunt for the playoffs.

1. Matt Hasselbeck's Play Early On

As the Tennessee Titans bolted to a 3-1 start, veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck shouldered the workload in running back Chris Johnson's sudden absence.

Hasselbeck did not post a quarterback rating under 93 as he threw for eight touchdowns over the first four games of the year. Hasselbeck's emergence as a veteran leader in the young locker room proved vital to their early success.

The 13-year veteran has cooled off as of recent, unable to post a quarterback rating over 80 in the past four weeks, but his ability to keep Tennessee in games and manage during crunch time has kept the Titans in the playoff hunt.

2. An Early Win Against Baltimore

The Tennessee Titans were coming off a demoralizing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who just days before their opening-day contest against Tennessee had cut their starting quarterback.

Tennessee was virtually counted out of the division race after the loss, but more importantly, the playoff race all together as they were headed toward a second consecutive losing season.

The Titans turned around their season by manhandling the Baltimore Ravens 26-13 and holding star running back Ray Rice to only 43 yards on 13 carries. The win against Baltimore changed the landscape on the season, giving Tennessee the confidence to contend with the class of the AFC and preventing them from dropping to 0-2 on the season. 

3. Trio of Defensive Backs Playing at a High Level

The Tennessee Titans' trio of defensive backs have been dominant throughout the season at forcing turnovers, playing up in the run game and not allowing the big play.

Veteran Cortland Finnegan, second-year defensive back Alterraun Verner and third-year cornerback Jason McCourty have played well beyond expectations after a tumultuous 2010. Through 13 games, the Titans secondary has allowed only one receiver to eclipse 100 yards receiving, the Atlanta Falcons' Roddy White with 147 yards in Week 11.

McCourty leads the league in solo tackles and has the most interceptions of his career through 12 games, while Finnegan is showing no signs of decline and Verner is providing vital time as Tennessee's third defensive back.

4. Defense Is Forcing Turnovers

While the Tennessee Titans defensive backs have been shutting down the opposition, the defense as a whole is forcing turnovers at a rapid rate.

Tennessee is plus-five in turnover ratio on the season and have forced 10 turnovers in their last four games. The turnovers have a direct correlation on the Titans' record, as they happen to be winners in three of their last four games.

Tennessee's defense must continue to play at a high level if they hope to sneak into the playoffs.

5. Colin McCarthy's Move to Starting Middle Linebacker

Since his entry into the starting lineup in Week 10 against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, Colin McCarthy has been the X-factor on defense for the Tennessee Titans.

The rookie out of the University of Miami has turned a poor tackling position that struggled against the run and couldn't defend the pass into a juggernaut across the middle. McCarthy has started three of the past four games and was a late substitute in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons when the previous starter, Barrett Ruud, left with a groin injury.

McCarthy has led the defense in tackles over all four of the Titans' previous games as well as racking up one interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

6. Fourth-Down Conversions

This Tennessee Titans ballclub is not the same team that would settle for field goals under former head coach Jeff Fisher.

With Mike Munchak at the helm, the Titans have converted 9-of-11 fourth-down conversions, including three touchdowns. Tennessee, not known to take the sort of gambles it has this year, has the highest success rate on such attempts with the Cleveland Browns second, converting 60 percent of their fourth-down attempts.

Tennessee must do better at converting on third down, which they are 64-of-166 on, so they are not relying as heavily on fourth-down success.

7. Nate Washington's Emergence After Kenny Britt's Injury

Third-year receiver Kenny Britt of the Tennessee Titans was off to the best start of his career before abruptly tearing his ACL in Week 3.

Enter Nate Washington, a seven-year veteran, who never had an opportunity at being the No. 1 receiver for a team. Washington answered head coach Mike Munchak's request for a receiver to step up in Britt's absence remarkably. 

The 6'1" receiver from Tiffin has recorded a career high in yards (668) and receptions (53), and is on pace to break his career high in touchdowns as well, which is six. 

8. Damian Williams' Consistent Red-Zone Production

Coming into the 2011 season, second-year receiver Damian Williams had only caught 16 passes over his career and zero touchdowns.

Fast-forward to Week 14 of the regular season and Williams has now almost doubled his total receiving yards from his rookie season and has five touchdowns on the season, including three in the past five games.

Terry McCormick of The Tennessean learned from speaking with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on December 1 that the coaching staff has put more plays in the red zone directed at Williams due to his increased production near the red zone. 

9. Chris Johnson's Resurgence

Chris Johnson entered the 2011 regular season with high expectations after finally cashing in for his big payday—$56 million, to be exact.

Through the first nine weeks of the season, Johnson had totaled only 366 rush yards with just one touchdown and one fumble.

In Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, Johnson seemed to find his way, rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. The next week he faltered yet again, rushing for only 13 yards on 12 carries against the Atlanta Falcons. The highly touted playmaker refused to be discouraged, rushing for 190 and 153 yards respectably in each of the past two games.

Johnson has led the league over the past four weeks in rushing yards, carrying the ball for 486 yards over that span. Tennessee will need consistent production from Johnson if they hope to continue their playoff push. 

10. Help from the Outside

The Tennessee Titans have had an up-and-down season, but reliance on help from the outside has left them in contention for the final AFC wild-card spot.

The Titans are currently tied at 7-5 with the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.

After winning six of their first eight games, including a Week 9 victory in Nashville, the Bengals have lost three of their last four games to drop into an even tie with Tennessee. The Raiders moved past the early season loss of famed owner Al Davis before losing quarterback Jason Campbell for the year with a broken clavicle and running back Darren McFadden since Week 7 with a foot injury. The Jets have fallen behind after losing critical games to AFC opponents in the Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots (twice) and Denver Broncos.

Tennessee has an opportunity to move ahead of the Bengals, Raiders and Jets Sunday with a victory over the New Orleans Saints.