The Tennessee Titans find themselves in an odd situation one week before the season finale. The truth of the matter is, the Titans only have to win in Week 18 in order to clinch their third-straight AFC South title.
Nothing that occurs Week 17 will change the reality that the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are on a collision course to fight for the division on January 8th in Jacksonville.
Naturally, this has brought up the debate as to whether or not the injury-plagued Titans should be sitting their starters this week.
In my personal opinion, outside of the young players that need all the reps they can get, everyone who is even the slightest bit banged-up should be resting on Thursday with nothing truly to gain.
Yes, this team could use the momentum win heading into Week 18, considering they’re on a five-game losing streak.
However, several players on the Titans would likely benefit so much more from actual rest instead of what’s essentially a glorified morale boost due to the odd stipulations at hand.
Regardless of the outcomes in Week 17, the winner of the Jaguars and Titans game in Week 18 is guaranteed to win the AFC South. pic.twitter.com/1e7n87aSWY
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 25, 2022
For starters, it’s already a short week as it is, and most players’ bodies are bound to be banged-up in some capacity at this point of the season.
You don’t have to look any further than the weekly injury report to get an idea of how battered this squad truly is. More often than not, the Titans have been listing over 10 players per week for quite some time now.
The absolute worst thing that could happen this Thursday is forcing someone notable to play in a relatively meaningless game, and they end up getting significantly hurt.
That would impact not only Week 18, but potentially the 2023 season as well, depending on severity. It’s also become crystal clear that this Titans squad that is put together with a band-aid is not getting the job done at the moment.
Even someone as dominant as Jeffery Simmons has not looked the same since he’s been a weekly regular on the injury report with his ankle ailment.
According to Pro Football Focus, prior to reaggravating his ankle injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, Simmons had five games where he topped an overall grade of at least 72.0, including two games in which he eclipsed a 92.0, and one game where he reached the 80s (87.6).
#Titans DT Jeffery Simmons this season:
– 21 pressures (2nd among DTs)
– 3.5 sacks (2nd among DTs)
– 15 hurries (t-1st among DTs)
– 90.0 PFF gradeA really good player who deserves more shine. pic.twitter.com/8sSMRGd1xT
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 12, 2022
Since then, the Mississippi State product has only topped an overall defensive grade of 72 on one occasion, which came in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals (72.5).
The former first-rounder also accounted for a total of 31 pressures and six sacks from Weeks 1-8, but has only tallied 19 pressures and two sacks since.
Giving the Pro-Bowl defender a rare break at this point of the season is going to give the team the best chance of getting the healthier version of Simmons back — a version that once looked like a bona fide defensive player of the year candidate — when it matters most.
Jeffery Simmons said you'd be surprised how much better you feel after not playing a game but really missed not being out there on the field. Said he feels better now. #Titans pic.twitter.com/63IoskTnB9
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) November 15, 2022
The talented defensive tackle is just one of many examples throughout the roster of players that are simply surviving each week instead of thriving.
Other players that should strongly consider sitting Thursday night are Denico Autry, Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, Bud Dupree, Kristian Fulton, and Amani Hooker.
Every single name on that list has popped up on the injury report within the last few weeks. Needless to say, this would be the perfect opportunity to allow them to get their bodies right with minimal consequences.
Another silver lining to this decision is the fact that if Tennessee decides to rest several key players and ultimately loses, it would then create an intriguing situational trade-off next weekend.
Either the Titans would end the season with their third straight division crown, or they’ll be picking somewhere in the 10-13 range next April.
It goes without saying this franchise could have a lot worse trade-offs at this point in time.
If the Titans want even a chance at getting back to playing like the 7-3 team they once were, they should put their ego aside and try to get as healthy as possible for a winner-take-all Week 18 game.
