When the Tennessee Titans selected former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, they had visions of the athletic signal-caller leading them to heights they hadn’t seen since the beloved Steve McNair was under center many years ago.
Unfortunately, after four seasons, the Titans haven’t been quite able to make the breakthrough they’ve been hoping for. Now, after parting ways with former head coach Mike Mularkey after the 2017 season and hiring former linebacker and Houston Texans defensive coordinator, the Titans are looking to reach the double-digit win mark for the first time since 2008.
Whether the Titans take the step forward they’ve been hoping for or whether they play mostly mediocre football again remains to be seen, but there are several things you need to know about the Titans before the start of the 2019 NFL regular season.
Tennessee Titans 2019 NFL Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 9-7 (W-L) / 8-8-0 (ATS) / 4-4-0 (Home) / 4-4-0 (Away) / 6-5-0 (Grass) / 2-3-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 8-8-0 (W-L) / 5-3-0 (Home) / 3-5-0 (Away) / 6-5-0 (Grass) / 2-3-0 (Turf) / 38.3 (Total)
The Titans finished the 2018 regular season with a 9-7 record for the third straight season while posting a dead-even 8-8 ATS mark by going 4-4 ATS at home and on the road. In maintaining their theme of being completely average, the Titans also went 8-8 O/U while playing over the total six times on the road.
Offense
- Total Yards: 312.6 / Rank 25
- Passing Yards: 185.9 / Rank 29
- Rushing Yards: 126.7 /Rank 6
- Points Scored: 19.4 / Rank 27
- Field Goal %: 86.7 / Rank 14
Tennessee finished the 2018 campaign ranked an underwhelming 25t overall, an even more discouraging 29th in passing, and 27th in scoring (19.4 ppg). The Titans did finish an encouraging sixth in rushing, but they struggled to move the ball all season long. To address their needs on the offensive side of the ball, the Titans signed veteran offensive lineman Roger Saffold and veteran wide receiver Adam Humphries while selecting Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown in the second round and Charlotte guard Nate Davis in the third round.
Defense
- Total Yards: 333.4 / Rank 8
- Passing Yards: 216.9 / Rank 6
- Rushing Yards: 116.4 /Rank 18
- Points Allowed: 18.9 / Rank 3
- Field Goal %: 89.7 / Rank 26
Tennessee did well defensively under Mike Vrabel to finish eighth overall, sixth against the pass and a stellar third in points allowed (18.9 ppg) despite ranking a modest 18th against the run. To improve their defense, the Titans signed veteran safety Kenny Vaccaro and veteran defensive end Cameron Wake in free agency while selecting Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons with the 19th overall pick in the draft.
Team Leaders- Touchdowns: Derrick Henry (12)
- Rushing: Derrick Henry (1059)
- Passing: Marcus Mariota (2528)
- Receiving: Corey Davis (891)
- Sacks: Jurrell Casey (7.0)
- Interceptions: Kevin Byard (4)
Veteran running back Derrick Henry had a breakout campaign in his third season by recording a team-high 12 touchdowns and 1,059 rushing yards. Quarterback Marcus Mariota had a decent, but certainly not great, season by passing for a modest 2,528 yards in 13 games, although he threw just 11 TD passes versus eight interceptions. Second-year wide receiver Corey Davis led the team in receiving yards while veteran defensive tackle Jurrell Casey had a team-high seven sacks and third-year safety Kevin Byard had a team-high four picks.
Did you know that 2015 No. 2 overall draft picks Marcus Mariota has never made it through a full season in his four years in the NFL?
Outlook
In addition to their six super difficult matchups against their AFC South division rivals Houston, Jacksonville, Indianapolis), Tennessee also has a handful of other challenging non-division contests against playoff contenders like Atlanta, the L.A. Chargers, Carolina, Kansas City and New Orleans.
With that said, I’m expecting the Titans to come up just short of reaching the double-digit win mark – again. Wile Mike Vrabel clearly knows how to coach defense, I think the Titans would have been better served hiring an offensive-minded head coach that could help Marcus Mariota reach his full potential. Tennessee has been the near definition of ‘average’ in going 9-7 in each of the last three seasons and I’m expecting more of the same in 2019!
