The Tennessee Titans dropped their Week 12 contest to the Cincinnati Bengals, which has them moving backwards in NFL power rankings going into Week 13.
We start with USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, who has the Titans moving back one spot to No. 11. Here’s what he had to say about Tennessee:
11. Titans (10): They pretty much go as their best player does. Tennessee is now 1-3, Sunday’s loss included, when RB Derrick Henry doesn’t rush for at least 85 yards.
While Tennessee’s passing attack has taken steps in the right direction these last three games, the rushing attack is going the opposite way thanks to very shoddy blocking upfront.
Henry has failed to break the century mark in each of the last three games after a five-game streak, and he’s averaged just 2.8, 3.1 and 2.2 yards per carry in that span.
The Titans are going to need a lot more than that moving forward, especially in a very tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. Now, the rest of our power rankings round-up.
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Sunday’s defeat to the Bengals demonstrated that if Derrick Henry (17 carries, 38 yards) can’t establish his will on the ground, then the Titans are, once again, probably too limited to take seriously as a legitimate contender. But Mike Vrabel’s bunch routinely punches above its weight class on defense and still plays a physical brand of disciplined football. The Titans, fatal flaws and all, should scare some of the higher-flying AFC contenders if they can catch them on a bad day.
Syndication: The Tennessean
This would have been a nice game for Tennessee to win. Build on the comfortable lead in the AFC South and take down a team it will likely have to face in the playoffs. However, it wasn’t meant to be.
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The Titans got their running game contained with Derrick Henry and couldn’t pass enough with Ryan Tannehill to outduel Burrow. They will need to really “Titan up” everywhere with the Eagles up in Philadelphia next.
Syndication: The Tennessean
The Titans rely on Derrick Henry, so his last three games are a bit concerning. His yards per carry over the last three weeks: 2.8, 3.1, 2.2. I don’t want to make the mistake of claiming Henry is in decline, but Tennessee needs him to play well or their offense is going to struggle.
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10. Tennessee Titans (7-4): Mike Vrabel is great a maximizing talent, but that can only take you so far. The Titans just don’t have enough horses to be a true title contender.
Syndication: The Tennessean
The Titans win games by imposing their will on the opponent. On Sunday, the Bengals came to Nissan Stadium and were the more physical team on both sides of the ball in a 20-16 Tennessee loss that served as a rematch of January’s memorable playoff showdown. An unnecessary roughness penalty by lineman Kevin Strong concluded the game in an anticlimactic manner, but the Titans’ focus should be on how to get Derrick Henry going against an AFC rival they could see again come playoff time. Henry managed just 38 yards on 17 carries on Sunday and has averaged just 2.7 yards per rush in his last two meetings with Cincinnati. The Bengals have the Big Dog on a leash.
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Realistic expectation: Winning the AFC South.
Despite a frustrating loss to the Bengals, the Titans have a two-game lead over the Colts in the AFC South. All things are pointing toward the Titans winning the division, although they have two games against the Jaguars on the horizon. Tennessee’s passing game is starting to come alive, but the rushing attack hasn’t been the same over the past three weeks. The Titans will be a dangerous team if they can find balance on offense. And the defense hasn’t allowed an opposing team to score more than 20 points in eight weeks.
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Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk:
13. Titans (7-4; No. 12): They need someone to step up on the rare days when Derrick Henry gets bottled up.
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They still hold a big lead in the division, but the loss to the Bengals won’t help playoff seeding. The offense found out how tough it can be when Derrick Henry can’t run it.
