The Titans land three primetime spots after AFC Championship run
By Chris Clark
The Tennessee Titans have earned the nation’s respect after a run to the AFC Championship, and as a result, land three primetime games in 2020.
On Thursday, the Tennessee Titans revealed their 2020 schedule. The schedule features three primetime matchups with the Broncos, Colts, and Packers.
If you want to view the full schedule, you can see it here as Jim Wyatt breaks it down. I will point out some key components of the schedule here, and provide my opinion.
First, the Titans three primetime games are a result of the NFL scheduling gods gaining a bit more respect for the Titans. With marketable players, such as Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, and Ryan Tannehill, the Titans were bound for at least one primetime slot.
The first one is week one versus the Denver Broncos, and it is Monday Night Football. It’s not the most flattering of the two double-header slots for week one, as it is at 9:10 PM central time, but it is a primetime spot nonetheless.
This matchup features Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey going up against his former team that traded him for a 7th rounder. It’s also being dubbed a “revenge” game by fans who watched the Titans got shutout by the Broncos in 2019.
The next primetime slot on schedule is versus Phillip Rivers and the Colts on Thursday Night. This game could be huge for the AFC South if the Titans and/or Colts pan out this year, so it makes sense to place it in a Thursday night slot. However, this is the first of two games the Titans have with the Colts within three weeks, so let’s hope Indy isn’t monstrous this year.
The final scheduled primetime matchup is versus the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday Night. This is the first scheduled Sunday Night Football game for the Titans in a really, really long time.
Sunday Night Football slots are very coveted, so the fact that the Titans have one shows just how much respect the scheduling gods have for them. It makes sense to put the game much later into the season because if the Titans end up flopping this year, they will likely flex them out and put a more meaningful game there.
The Titans have a rough start to the season. Their first six games include the young-and-hungry Broncos, the Jaguars, the Vikings, the Steelers, the defensive-driven Bills, and the reigning AFC South Champs, Houston Texans.
The Titans in years past have had issues with slow starts to the season. With that starting schedule, they’ll need to figure out how to start fast, or else they will find themselves in familiar territory. It helps that four of the first six games for the Titans are at home.
The Tennessee Titans have been pretty good at Nissan Stadium in recent years, so that is good news. However, if they start poorly, they’ll have to fight for a playoff spot mostly on the road as five in their last seven requires some road trips.
Next. Will the Tennessee Titans have a breakout player in 2020?. dark
One last notable thing is the Ravens-Titans rematch is not in a primetime slot. I imagined it would be, considering the hype surrounding Lamar Jackson, and the team to end all the hype was the Titans. It’ll still be an interesting one and might draw CBS’ best commentary crew.