Chapter 335: First Game Opponent
Before the start of the 2017 season, if someone predicted that the Tennessee Titans would be able to occupy a place in the playoffs, they would have been greeted with a blank stare.
The Tennessee Titans have not made the playoffs since the 2008 season; they have not won a playoff game since the 2003 season.
The Tennessee Titans, formerly the Houston Oilers, were founded in 1960. They were one of the original founding teams of the NFL and won the NFL championship in 1960 and 1961. This is a strong team with history and tradition. team; entering the Super Bowl era is no exception.
But it is very regrettable that after entering the new millennium, in the fierce competition for comprehensive upgrades in the league, the Tennessee Titans have never found their rhythm.
In 2015, the Tennessee Titans selected quarterback Marcos Mariota with the second pick, expecting the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner to become the cornerstone of the team and lead the Titans out of the slump.
After experiencing the disappointment of his rookie season, Mariota finally brought some surprises in the 2016 season. The team achieved a record of nine wins and seven losses, and unfortunately missed the playoffs by a hair's breadth.
Head coach Mike Mularkey has become the target of criticism. Senior management generally believes that Mularkey has failed to realize the team's talent. They have a team with excellent paper strength, but they have never been able to transform into a real strong team. Team, professionals generally agree with this.
In this team, both the offensive and defensive teams have a lot of outstanding players——
In the offensive team, in addition to quarterback Mariota, the running backs include DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, and the wide receivers include Eric Decker and Harry- Pro Bowl level players like Harry Douglas and Eric Weems.
The defensive team includes Jurrell Casey, Sylvester Williams, Brian Orakpo and other Pro Bowl and All-American players on the front line. An excellent player at first team level.
Perhaps the only relatively weak area is the second-line defense, so the team manager has been trying to improve the team's lineup through the draft and the free market in the past two years.
Everything seems to be on the right track, but why are the results always unsatisfactory?
After the 2016 season, professionals still believe that the Tennessee Titans' downturn and pain may continue, and the team still has not found a solution.
However, Mulakai hurriedly took over as coach midway through the 2015 season, and the 2017 season is his second full season. It is generally believed that he should be given some time to build the team according to his ideas.
It is under such pressure that the Tennessee Titans enter a new season.
Nine wins and seven losses.
For the second consecutive season, the Tennessee Titans delivered exactly the same answer, but this time they missed the playoffs on the last train.
Surprise, absolutely surprise!
In fact, if you calm down and look at the data, the performance of the Tennessee Titans is still worrying. The offense ranks 19th in the league and the defense ranks 13th. Both statistics are in the middle and lower reaches of the league. Logically speaking, they should not be Entering the playoffs, so, what exactly happened?
Key battle.
Looking back on the entire season, the Tennessee Titans lost a series of games that they should not have lost; however, they performed top-notch in a head-to-head collision with their playoff competitors——
Facing direct opponents such as the Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, etc. competing for playoff spots, the Tennessee Titans won all of them.
More importantly, facing the rival Jacksonville Jaguars in the same division who have emerged in a completely different way this season, the Tennessee Titans won both home and away games. Of the five games the Jacksonville Jaguars lost this season, the Tennessee Titans won two.
Especially in the life-and-death battle in the last week of the regular season, the Tennessee Titans gritted their teeth and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, and won the playoff spot through head-on competition.
A surprise, no doubt a surprise!
It is precisely because of this that even though the Tennessee Titans' season record is only nine wins and seven losses, they are generally considered to be a tough nut.
In Bart's opinion——
"The Kansas Chiefs and Tennessee Titans are only one win apart from each other. The difference in regular season performance is not that obvious."
"The Kansas Chiefs are prone to weakness at critical moments and have choked on the lead many times this season; the Tennessee Titans, on the contrary, are always able to toughen up in critical moments."
"One plus and one minus." "In the stalemate situation of the single-elimination playoff system, the prospects of the Tennessee Titans are slightly more promising."
This time, Bart didn't want to be slapped in the face, he really didn't want to, every cell in his body was rejecting it.
It is precisely because of this that Bart came to the conclusion after careful consideration——
Of course, he has not forgotten a key figure, a guy who appeared out of nowhere this season and made him frustrated repeatedly.
"In my opinion, there should be two groups of focus matchups in this game."
"First, 'Smith vs. Mariota.'"
"Both quarterbacks are playing the best of their careers this season. Their performance will definitely affect the trend of the game. The matchup between the passing offense and the passing defense is also very interesting."
"Second, 'Ground VS Ground'."
"Kansas has Levi and Hunter, and Tennessee has Murray and Henry. They are also a combination of two running backs. The Chiefs focus on lightness and speed, and the Titans focus on strength and confrontation. Two completely different ground attack styles, but they will be used in the game. play a vital role.”
"It is worth mentioning that Levi and Henry, this is their first meeting."
"So, the on-the-spot performance of these two groups will determine the outcome."
This time, Bart's analysis and judgment were affirmed "within the alliance", and the paper analysis was indeed true; but the final direction of the program was slightly different.
——"6:4".
According to the analysis of ten professionals "within the league", six people chose the Kansas City Chiefs and four people chose the Tennessee Titans. The opinions are very, very close. It can be said that they are indistinguishable.
Those who believe in the Tennessee Titans, like Bart, believe that the toughness and momentum they have shown in key battles this season may be the key to tipping the balance.
Those who believed in the Kansas Chiefs, represented by Lawson, stood behind Levi.
"After experiencing the trough of six consecutive losses, the Kansas Chiefs are still the same team when they return, but they have developed a different playing temperament."
"Especially the ground attack with Levi as the core, which is in incredible shape. The current Kansas Chiefs are completely different from our perception."
"In the playoffs, the ground attack will back up the Kansas Chiefs, allowing Smith to make more attempts in the passing attack. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the Kansas Chiefs can reverse their habitual weakness in the playoffs."
Lawson said so.
"What's more important is that Levi is a player who gets stronger when he is strong. I personally think that playing together with Henry can be a positive motivation."
"We'll see."
Lawson still remained objective, but the confidence and excitement in his words could still be seen. After just one season, Levi already had a different aura in his eyes——
"Levi VS Henry"!
The matchup that this group has been waiting for and waiting for is finally about to make its debut; and it is still on the playoff stage!
(End of chapter)