Depending on how you look at it, Tennessee Titans fans either got coal in their stockings or a great present following the Week 16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Christmas Eve.
If you want the Titans to win, no matter the situation, you got coal. However, if you see the bigger picture in terms of Tennessee needing to improve its draft position, Sunday’s loss was a gift.
With the loss, the Titans fell to 5-10, tying the highest single-season loss total of the Mike Vrabel era. On the flip side, Tennessee managed to move up two spots in the 2024 NFL draft order, where they now sit at No. 7.
The Titans remain very much in striking distance for the No. 5 overall pick, and they could end up as high as No. 2 overall if everything goes perfectly from here on out.
Securing a top-five pick would almost certainly guarantee Tennessee leaves with one of the best players at their biggest positions of need, which are wide receiver and left tackle.
But we still have two weeks to go before Tennessee’s draft position is locked-in. For now, let’s take a look back at the biggest takeaways from the Week 16 defeat at the hands of the Seahawks.
Thank you Tre Avery, Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill and Avery were two of the biggest culprits behind the Week 16 loss, but we really should be thanking them. Without their contributions, Tennessee might have won that game and hurt their draft positioning.
Avery surrendered a pair of touchdown passes and committed a bad defensive pass interference penalty to put Seattle in position to score.
Tannehill missed throws and open receivers on multiple occasions, and he held on to the ball for an eternity on two drop backs on the final drive to completely kill Tennessee’s last-minute bid.
As boring as it would be, the Titans should start Tannehill or Malik Willis for the final two games because they give Tennessee the best chance to lose and I don’t want to see Will Levis behind this terrible offensive line again.
An ideal result
Not only did the Titans show fight, they also lost, which is the ideal scenario for a team that has been eliminated from the playoffs.
With the loss, the Titans moved up two spots in the 2024 NFL draft order, from No. 9 to No. 7. Adding to that, they are well within striking distance of a top-five pick, and could still end the season as high as No. 2.
With a top-five pick, the Titans are guaranteed to land one of the top left tackles or wide receivers, which would be ideal considering those are Tennessee’s two biggest needs.
Titans still fighting
It would have been very easy for this team to pack it in and get blown out by the Seahawks, especially with how short-handed Tennessee was.
Instead, it was another shining example of head coach Mike Vrabel getting as much as he can from a team devoid of talent — and it’s another reason why the Titans need to give him another shot with a rebuilt roster.
Chig continues his turnaround
After a disastrous start to the season, Chig has begun rounding into form over these last five weeks. Better late than never, I guess.
His early-season drops issue has subsided and he’s been the team’s most consistent pass-catcher over the past month or so.
With his team-high 63 receiving yards on Sunday, Okonkwo now has 458 for the season, a new career-high for him — and there’s still two games left to play.
Granted, this wasn’t exactly the breakout campaign we were all expecting, but at least Chig has righted the ship to give himself some much-needed positive momentum ahead of 2024.
Titans should keep edge-rush trio together
Harold Landry, Arden Key and Denico Autry each had a sack in Week 16 and made their presence felt throughout, which was a big reason why the defense was able to keep Seattle’s offense in check.
Autry (11.5 sacks) increased his career-high, while Landry (nine) and Key (six) now have the second-highest single-season totals of their careers with two games left to play.
Normally, a rebuilding team like the Titans should steer clear of a guy who is set to be 34 next year, but Autry has done more than enough to warrant another deal in Tennessee.
It can’t be overstated how impressive Landry has been in his first year back from a torn ACL, and thankfully he’s already locked-in for three more years. Key is also set to return and is under contract through 2025.
If the Titans can fix their secondary, just imagine what this trio could do with better play on the back end.
