The Tennessee Titans notched their third consecutive victory in Week 5 over the Washington Commanders, putting them in sole possession of first place in the AFC South going into their bye.
Tennessee’s latest victory has them moving up in the power rankings of experts. Our round-up starts with USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, who has Tennessee moving up five spots to No. 16.
16. Titans (21): Their defense has broken up 21 passes this season – most of those courtesy of mammoth DTs Teair Tart (5) and Jeffery Simmons (3). Go figure.
Love the shoutout for Tart here, as the 2020 undrafted free agent has been great for the Titans this season, even in pass coverage where he leads the team with five pass break-ups.
One of those five came on Sunday, when Tart dropped into coverage near the goal line and made a huge pass break-up on Washington’s final drive. Graceful doesn’t begin to describe Tart’s movement here. Elite.
#Titans leader in passes defended through 5 games with 5 PBUs:
DT Teair Tart
They even dropped him into coverage & he makes a play forcing the incompletion preventing a go-ahead TD🔥 pic.twitter.com/UR4bniiLG7
— Wes on Broadway (@TitansStats) October 10, 2022
Now, the rest of our power rankings round-up.
Robert Zeglinski and Christian D'Andrea, For The Win: 11 (+2)
Robert Zeglinski and Christian D’Andrea, For The Win:
Tennessee went from 0-2 to first place in the looted bomb shelter currently masquerading as the AFC South. After two weeks of wringing our hands and worrying about Derrick Henry, he’s run for 301 yards and four touchdowns in the Titans’ three-game winning streak. Now we wait and see if rookie Treylon Burks’ return from injury can add some much-needed value to Ryan Tannehill’s passing game.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 10 (+2)
It was not easy but the Titans came away with a road win thanks to David Long’s last-second pick of Carson Wentz. Next: Bye
Mark Lane, Touchdown Wire: 8 (+3)
The Titans appear to be back on their winning formula as Derrick Henry had 28 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn’t have to do much as he went 15-of-25 for 181 yards and a touchdown. It is a long season, and last year showed that the attrition of the regular season got to their playmakers. So far, so good.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 13 (+5)
The Titans have dug themselves out of a 0-2 hole to be right with the Colts in the two-team AFC South race again. Derrick Henry is bringing the usual offensive hammer and Mike Vrabel has adjusted to get the most out of the defense without Harold Landry.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 15 (+5)
Looking back, losses to the Giants and Bills to start the season weren’t so bad. The Titans have figured things out, Derrick Henry is back to his high-volume dominance and Jeffery Simmons is carrying the defense from his tackle position. With the Jaguars and Colts both showing their weaknesses, this looks like the AFC South favorite all of a sudden.
Josh Schrock, NBC Sports: 14 (+2)
14. Tennessee Titans (3-2): Someone has to win the AFC South. Titans haven’t relinquished their grip on it yet.
Austin Gayle, The Ringer: 19 (-2)
Injuries to rookie receiver Treylon Burks and offensive tackle Taylor Lewan have turned the situation from bad to worse for QB Ryan Tannehill, but Derrick Henry is stepping up to keep the Titans’ offense alive. Henry has 10 more carries than any other player in the league over the past three weeks, and he ranks fourth in total rushing yards (301) over that span. Coincidentally, in the same three-week stretch, Tannehill ranks fourth in EPA per dropback (0.41) when running play-action and just 18th in the same stat on standard dropbacks (-0.06). It’s just another reminder that Henry remains the Titans’ most important offensive player, he’ll have to remain so as the offense can’t have success in the standard dropback passing game.
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: 11 (+1)
The Titans have had rotten injury luck all season, and you could see the cracks along the offensive line in a 21-17 win over the Commanders. Dennis Daley (starting at left tackle after Taylor Lewan’s season-ending knee injury) was bullied by Montez Sweat, while the interior line struggled on a day Ryan Tannehill absorbed five sacks. The offense did manage to crack the end zone three times, and David Long Jr. stepped up with the goal-line interception in the final seconds to secure a win. The Titans are a team that’s still trying to figure things out; luckily, they play in an AFC South that appears more adrift than ever at the moment.
