NASHVILLE - Ryan Tannehill disputes the idea he ever lost his mojo as quarterback of the Tennessee Titans.
In his 10th year in the NFL, Tannehill was one of only three players on his team's offense to start every game during the regular season, when he helped Tennessee to a 12-5 record and the AFC's No. 1 seed. Being part of a top-seeded team is a first for a quarterback who never appeared in a playoff game until the 2019 season, months after the Miami Dolphins traded their longtime starter and he went from Titans backup to leader of the offense.
That makes having a third straight shot at postseason success even more fun for an athlete who loves winning - even if some of his own numbers have dropped.
"I love doing that, and I'm proud of our guys and the way we've ... fought through a lot and continued to find ways to win," the 33-year-old Tannehill said. "So it hasn't always been perfect and pretty - it's football; it never is. So the fact that we can continue to find ways to win has been a lot of fun."
As the Titans prepare to host the upstart Cincinnati Bengals at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday in the divisional round, Tennessee hopes to tap into Tannehill's experience.
His young counterpart, Joe Burrow, is in his second NFL season, but the former No. 1 draft pick's postseason debut last weekend helped the Bengals snap a 31-year drought without a playoff win. The former Ohio high school football standout also had the ultimate postseason success as a college player, winning the Heisman Trophy and helping lead LSU to a 15-0 record in a national championship 2019 season.
"I've played in a lot of big games throughout my career," Burrow said Tuesday. "Whether it's this year - I mean every game the last half of the season was a playoff game - or those games playing in the college football playoffs and the national championship, I think I've been in that situation before."
AP photo by Jeff Dean / Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, shown during last Saturday's AFC wild-card playoff game against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, has helped the franchise end a 31-year drought without a playoff win, with the former No. 1 draft pick doing so in his second NFL season.Tannehill, the highest draft pick from 2012 still playing - the Dolphins selected him eighth overall out of Texas A&M - will be making his fifth playoff start with Tennessee. He helped the Titans reach the AFC championship game two years ago, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel has made it clear he loves what Tannehill brings to the offense.
Only Burrow was sacked more times (51) than Tannehill (47) during the recently competed regular season, but Tannehill has started every game Tennessee has played for the second straight season.
"His toughness is second to none," Vrabel said. "I know that being a professional quarterback requires a level of toughness. I am not going to say that our guys aren't tough, but we know that Ryan has a very high ability to stand in there and not flinch."
Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor knows that, and Tannehill, only too well. He was a graduate assistant at Texas A&M when Tannehill played both wide receiver and quarterback, and Taylor also coached quarterbacks, including Tannehill, for four seasons with the Dolphins.
Taylor said Tannehill can make every throw and could have played receiver in the NFL. Tannehill had 55 receptions for 844 yards and five touchdowns his first season in college.
"He's a tremendous quarterback," Taylor said. "It's no surprise he's helped that team get in the position they've been in these last couple of years. He really executes that offense at a high level, and he can make a defense pay if you let him. They've got the right quarterback on board there."
AP photo by Justin Rex / Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, top, surveys the defense during the regular-season finale against the Houston Texans on Jan. 9.Tannehill's experience paid off during the regular season as the Titans shuffled through 91 players, an NFL record for a year without a strike. Star running back Derrick Henry missed the final nine games while recovering from foot surgery, and top wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones both had stints on injured reserve.
So while Burrow was rewriting the Bengals' record book with a 108.3 passer rating, 4,611 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes, Tannehill's best contribution might be more intangible. Despite the revolving roster, the Titans earned the No. 1 seed - and with it a first-round bye - for the first time since 2008, winning three of their final four games to do so.
Tannehill did match his career high with seven touchdown runs, but he had his lowest passer rating since 2015. He also had 14 interceptions while throwing for 3,734 yards and 21 touchdowns.
How much will his added experience help Saturday?
"Hopefully it helps a little bit," Tannehill said. "You have been there before. The experience is not new. At the end of the day, you have to go out and execute and play well."