Tennessee Titans: National media does 180 on Titans

The national media spent all of the preseason making false assumptions about the Tennessee Titans and throwing them under the bus but not anymore.

ESPN has simulated the NFL’s 100th season a slim 20,000 times and has found who their simulations have picked to make the playoffs this year, and the Tennessee Titans are among the playoff teams.

With those simulations, the Titans have come away with another 9-7 season. Honestly, a 9-7 season wouldn’t be too bad especially if they make the playoffs.

That would make this the fourth straight 9-7 season for the Titans and even though they can’t get past that hump if they end up back in the playoffs after missing the postseason last year I don’t think too many people would be upset.

That also means the Titans will lose to the Browns to start the season. But don’t freak out because the Titans will get revenge on the Brownies in the Wild Card. The Titans will move on to the Divisional Round for the second time in the last three years.

No matter how much you don’t like Marcus Mariota or Mike Vrabel or whoever you can’t argue with that outcome. And if you’re looking for a high scoring shoot out in the playoffs don’t tune into the Titans’ Wild Card game because ESPN’s projections have the Titans winning 10-9.

I’m not going to lie of course I would like to see the Titans in the AFC Championship or the Super Bowl but the likelihood of that happening this year is unlikely.

The Titans would face the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Divisional Round but would ultimately fall to the Chargers who would go on to lose the Super Bowl to the Saints.

I have been openly against Mariota for a while now I’m not going to hide it, but if he can turn things around this year, I’ll slowly start coming back in. But you can’t tell me that my anti-Mariota attitude isn’t justified.

If he were as good as he was supposed to be coming out of Oregon, then the Titans would have more than one playoff win since he got into the league. I know injuries have limited him to his success, but that’s a part of the player he is.

But I’m feeling pretty good about the Titans right now. That could all change though after Sunday. I was high on the Vols if you remember before the season started and I’ve taken a harder 180 than ESPN has in this case.

Regardless of whatever happens, I think if the Titans can survive the first four games on their schedule, they’ll be alright, but they need to win two of those games to “survive.”

The Titans’ first test will be this Sunday, and I think how the Titans perform will be very telling, and we will know what kind of Titans team we have in 2019.