NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill admits he was frustrated not hearing his name called this week for the AFC’s Pro Bowl team during arguably the best season of his nine-year NFL career.
He had plenty of company in his own locker room.
Only league-leading rusher Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown received Pro Bowl nods out of Nashville despite the Titans being the NFL’s top-scoring team. Tennessee leads the league this season with 436 points and is tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in points per game at 31.1.
Sure seems like there’s more going on in Tennessee than just the Henry show.
“That perception is definitely out there, and I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Tannehill said Wednesday of the idea he only hands off to Henry, who led the NFL in rushing in 2019 and has 1,679 yards on 321 carries this season.
“But, you know, I can’t control that. I’ve just got to go out there and and do the best I can do each and every week. And the rest takes care of itself.”
Tennessee and the Indianapolis Colts, both 10-4 and having split their season series, are atop the AFC South standings, but the Titans hold the divisional tiebreaker over their rivals with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Titans are a win and an Indianapolis loss away from clinching their first division title since 2008, and that ability to generate points is a huge factor in the opportunity being available.
The Titans have back-to-back road games to close the regular season, facing the NFC-leading Green Bay Packers (11-3) this Sunday night before wrapping up with a division game against the Houston Texans (4-10). Tennessee’s 55 touchdowns this season are tied with Green Bay for the league lead.
AP photo by Ben Margot / An official signals touchdown as Tennessee Titans running back Darrynton Evans celebrates with tight end MyCole Pruitt after scoring during the second half of Sunday’s home win against the Detroit Lions.Packers coach Matt LaFleur was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator in 2018 during Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach for the Titans. LaFleur said he’s surprised his replacement, Arthur Smith, isn’t being publicized more for head coaching jobs. LaFleur said Henry is playing with a lot of confidence and everyone on offense has bought in.
LaFleur also knows the Packers will have much more to worry about than trying to stop the big running back. The Green Bay coach ticked off Tannehill, tight ends Anthony Firkser and Jonnu Smith and wide receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis on the list of concerns presented by Tennessee’s offense.
“There’s weapons all over the field,” LaFleur said. “Again, it’s one of the best offenses in the league right now, and we have a great challenge in front of us.”
Thanks to Henry, the 2016 second-round draft pick who this season already has set his career high in rushing yardage, the Titans are very effective using play-action passes. Taking advantage of the defense’s need to respect Henry’s ability, Tannehill has responded by throwing a career-high 31 touchdown passes and a career-low five interceptions.
The Titans were the first NFL team this season to reach both 3,000 yards passing and 2,000 rushing as a team, getting there in 13 games. They also have averaged 399.4 yards per game, second only to the Chiefs (427.9) – the reigning Super Bowl champions who ended Tennessee’s wild-card run during the playoffs last January – and Tennessee became the fifth team in NFL history to average at least 420 yards and 30 points in five straight games with this past Sunday’s 46-25 home win over Detroit.
This franchise hasn’t finished a season ranked in the top three on offense since 1993, when the team was still in Texas and known as the Houston Oilers. With the snaps going to Warren Moon – the quarterback who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 – the Oilers ranked third by averaging 353.6 yards per game.
Tannehill said the Titans are constantly tweaking things, especially their best plays, because not every one is executed just the way they want. Someone might be a hair off on a block, pass or route.
“We’re able to take a look at that,” Tannehill said. “How can we be better as we practice this week and get ready for Sunday? Or maybe adding in a new route concept or adjusting a route. All of that plays together in finding ways to improve.”
Tannehill has plenty of options when throwing, and it’s why 14 Titans have scored at least one touchdown this season. Defenses have to decide where to focus, and that’s why Tennessee could have a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Corey Davis (currently 945 yards) and Brown (881).
Brown, whose 18 touchdown catches are the most in a player’s first 28 games with this franchise, said the numbers aren’t the whole story, though.
“Most importantly, we are not worried about that stat, but we try to get the ‘W’ at the end of the day,” Brown said. “So (if) we have to go out there and score 30, 40, 50 points, we are most definitely going to go out there and pick each other up.”