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3 reasons the Titans are no longer the standard of the AFC South

By Justin Bauerle

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 11: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans is tackled by Tae Crowder #48 of the New York Giants at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Giants defeated the Titans 21-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 11: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans is tackled by Tae Crowder #48 of the New York Giants at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Giants defeated the Titans 21-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Taylor Lewan #77 of the Tennessee Titans gets carted off of the field after suffering an injury against the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Taylor Lewan #77 of the Tennessee Titans gets carted off of the field after suffering an injury against the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

1. The Titans are once again plagued by injuries

We’ve seen this before, Tennessee had the most players on their roster last season due to injuries. The Titans broke the single-season record by having a total of 91 players on the active roster in 2021. The previous record was held by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, with 84.

Tennessee currently has 11 players on the injured reserve list, including Harold Landry III and Taylor Lewan. Heading into Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans’ depth chart is pretty much a sea of red.

Players on the active injury report include WR Kyle Philips (Q), Ola Adeniyi (Q), Monty Rice (O), Zach Cunningham (Q), Bud Dupree (Q), Ugo Amadi (Q), and Caleb Shudak (O). This does not include the IR list which includes Racey McMath, Taylor Lewan, Jamarco Jones, Da’Shawn Hand, Harold Landry IIII, Chance Campbell, A.J. Moore, Elijah Moore, and Chris Jackson.

The Titans are getting decimated and are on track to break their own record from 2021. To be clear, this is nothing to celebrate. Even through rivalry, you don’t want to see your foes fall off because of injury. The reality though, is that the best teams are the healthy teams.

Last year, with a record number of injuries, Tennessee somehow earned the No. 1 seed. That solidified Mike Vrabel as an elite coach and the Titans as a resilient team. However, it’s not a feasible task to accomplish yearly. The entire nation saw what happens when you are dismantled and square off against good teams in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Tennessee, that challenge is coming even earlier in the season for them. If the Titans continue to struggle with their health, along with all their other personnel and performance issues, there will be a new king of the AFC South.

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