Raise your hand if you had the Tennessee Titans starting 4-and-0.
Unless you’re from The Volunteer State, your hand is probably at your side. After squeaking by the Broncos, Jaguars and Vikings for three wins by six combined points, it was fair for the doubters to be skeptical. Then Tennessee walloped undefeated Buffalo 42-16 on national television Tuesday night to send a message to the rest of the league.
So are they for real?[[ad:athena]]
“Tennessee has the formula,” longtime Vegas oddsmaker Dave Sharapan told NBC Sports. “They were successful last year. They went into Foxborough and Baltimore and won playoff games. I don’t know why people thought they would automatically regress when nothing changed. Regression is when it comes out of nowhere and it’s not proven. The Titans have won nine games four years in a row. And they have an Adonis running the ball, throwing grown men to the side with stiff arms.”
Sharapan is definitely a fan of Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel too, who seems to have unlocked the personality of his group. There aren’t many tougher teams around the league than the Titans.
“I like Vrabel because he’s his own guy,” Sharapan said. “I liked the way he played the game, so I like the way he coaches. I trust him more than the majority of coaches in the NFL. And the team clearly loves the guy.”
The biggest issue that many people have with Tennessee is the quarterback. People just don’t believe in Ryan Tannehill in the playoffs. Don’t tell Tannehill though, who has thrown nine touchdowns and only one interception while completing 69 percent of his passes.
If anything, the Titans win with balance.
“To be successful in the NFL, quarterbacks have to be in the right situation,” Sharapan explained. “A quarterback needs a combination of coaching, play calling, offensive line and a good defense. Tannehill has most of that if not all of that. So yes, they can win with him.”
PointsBet Sportsbook moved Tennessee to +1100 to win the AFC and +2200 to win Super Bowl LV. They’re currently on the one line in their conference, just an eyelash ahead of Pittsburgh, the other undefeated team.
If the Titans win their division, they’ll be rewarded with a home game. Their goal should naturally be set a lot higher. A top-two seed is definitely possible and if that happens, the path is much easier to the Super Bowl.
Are you a believer?
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