Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #2
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #2
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Broncos, 49ers, Eagles, Packers, Ravens
We have arrived at the projected RZ Bowl 62 for the cycle, and if you've been following this entire time the surprise is officially over, as you know that the Buccaneers and Titans are my final two teams. Here in these next two articles I am going to give my reasoning as to why these two teams are my favorites to win it all this season, and why I do think both have a ton of future success ahead.
#2 - Tennessee Titans (Roc)
(13-3 Projected Record)
2nd Seed, Loss in RZ Bowl 62
Man, if 2019 me knew how excited I'd be about the Titans...
What a story this team was last year. A great roster constantly held back by poor quarterback play, they finally bench Marcus Mariota and insert Ryan Tannehill, who takes the job and runs with it, all the way to the AFC Championship Game where the Titans went punch for punch with the Chiefs for a bit.
It wasn't just the insertion of Tannehill, it was the emergence of Derrick Henry as a legit top back in the league, steamrolling opponents down the stretch with his hard-nose running style. Combine that with an improving offensive line, a young breakout receiver, and a stout defense, and you have a receipe for a dangerous playoff team.
Enter the Roc era, a guy who made a Super Bowl in one of his first years coaching, and has yet to return. He is a smart coach, and an even brighter general manager, one of the most exciting young coaches in our league. With a team that seems built to his style, I'm beyond excited about this pairing.
One Big Question
No doubt about Coach Roc's abilities, but how will this fit work initially? Is paying Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry massive contracts the key to playoff success? In a division with the Allen brothers and Metal, they don't have long to answer this.
The big conversation around the AFC South is the talent of coaches that were hired, with a former multi-champion in Metal, and three others who have been on the doorstep. Roc and Jake are the early favorites to emerge from this division into postseason play, but I just like the fit of Roc in Tennessee a little more.
His style fits what Tennessee likes to do - pound the rock, play efficient through the air, and play rock (Roc, see what I did there?) solid defense.
The big question is the money. Derrick Henry will be making $15 million over the next four seasons, while Ryan Tannehill is locked in at $30+ million for 4 seasons. The Titans don't have a ton of flexibility going forward, but these two are the faces of the offense and any championship aspirations.
Can a Tannehill/Henry combination win you a title? With help, yes. Any team that relies on a run game for success will need it's defense to perform at a high level to accomplish what the run game is trying to do. The Titans are the ultimate ball-control team, and Roc has the patience and talent to execute a plan.
For the forseeable future, the South belongs to Tennessee.
One Big Schedule Issue
I have the Titans going 5-1 in the AFC South, with a Week 10 loss to the Colts. Jacksonville is in a full-blown rebuild, but I fully anticpate Pat catching up in a season or two. Houston is a complete wild card, as Metal has been there done that, but the roster is in shambles.
A brutal opening game against Denver on the road is an immediate test for the Titans, but with stability that the Broncos lack on offense, I see them pulling out a hard fought victory.
The toughest games on the schedule outside of the division and Week 1, are the Ravens and Packers, both of whom I have the Titans falling to. I have Tennessee winning the rematch in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore, but the regular season game will be one of their toughest challenges.
Reasons for Optimism
The offense is really exciting, especially since the Titans extended running back Derrick Henry, who was an absolute wrecking ball in the latter half of the season and the postseason. He should be a 20+ carry a game type of player, who only gets stronger as the game goes along.
The weapons around Tannehill took a big jump last season, with the emergence of the young A.J. Brown, who competed for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Adam Humphries and Corey Davis round out a very intriguing receiving core. Although the departure of Delanie Walker hurts, Jonnu Smith has a ton of upside at the tight end position.
The offensive line is what makes this unit work, with the trio starting at left tackle to center of Taylor Lewan, Roger Saffold, and Ben Jones. The departure of Jack Conklin hurts, but the Titans replaced him with 1st round tackle Isaiah Wilson. Last year, Lewan, Saffold, and Jones all graded top ten in their respective position groups.
Defensively the front seven is talented, with DaQuan Jones in the middle, and Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry rushing off the edge. I love the 1 year deal they gave to Vic Beasley on a complete low-risk contract, to see if he can return to his high impact play.
Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans are a very exciting young duo of inside linebackers to compliment the rushers, and I love Adoree' Jackson, who has improved every year of his career at the cornerback spot. The presence of Kevin Byard in the back end is huge for this defense, as Byard has developed into one of the best safeties in the league.
Reasons for Negativity
I love continuity in football, especially at the quarterback position, but I think the Titans got carried away with the extension of Ryan Tannehill. I think Roc can win with him, but the amount of money they paid Tannehill for a little over half a season of successful football is pretty wild. If he continues his great play, the contract is 100% worth it, but right now it's a major question mark.
Defensively outside of Jackson and Byard, I'm not excited about anyone in this secondary, especially Malcolm Butler and his awful contract. He is making $14+ million his next 3 seasons, and has been declining since joining Tennessee from New England. The contract given to safety Kenny Vaccaro is shockingly bad, paying him $7 million a year when the Titans alread have Byard and the promising Amani Hooker.
Tennessee frees up $20 million this offseason, but has extensions due for Corey Davis, Jonnu Smith, DaQuan Jones, Vic Beasley, Jayon Brown, and more. It could be a big offseason of change in Tennessee.
Last Word
Like I said, I'm so excited about this pairing. Roc's style with Tennessee's personnel is my favorite to win the AFC year one, and potentially again in the cycle. The solid offense and defense, with budding young superstars is such an intriguing combination.
Tannehill's limitations could be the downfall of this team, or a lack of truly explosive weapons outside of A.J. Brown, but with such a good run game and offensive line, I don't anticipate this being a major problem.
I project Roc to likely lose a Super Bowl if he makes it, especially in this matchup I've predicted, but if I had to put money on any first-timer from the AFC to win a championship this cycle, I would put it on him first.