Titans 2022 recount: Henry couldn’t do without Tannehill and Brown

The Titans (7-10) 2022 NFL Season was the story of a once-contender losing steam. With the departure of WR AJ Brown to the Eagles and the injury of QB Ryan Tannehill that kept him from finishing the season, Tennessee showed that it is worthless to have the best running back in the league, without the passing game to back them up.

Regardless, they were knocked out of any playoff chance at the hands of their divisional rival in the final week of the regular season. A team that started the year fighting for the top of the AFC ends up watching the postseason from home.

The 2022 Titans Season

The Titans entered this year having been the top seed in the AFC last season, and playing in an AFC South where they faced Houston and Jacksonville twice a season seemed like a gift to become division champions. What could go wrong? A couple of reality checks weren’t long in coming as they were beaten 20-21 by the Giants in Week 1, and get thrashed 7-41 by the Bills in it MNF of Week 2.

Doubts were quickly dispelled. Tennessee had five wins in a row after beating the Raiders, Colts Commanders, again the Colts and Texans, and this last game with the debut of rookie QB2 Malik Willis, as QB1 Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury. By Week 9, the Titans were blown out in overtime by the Chiefs, though, with Willis once again in charge, it looked like a psychic win that seemed to show this team had a case against the AFC elite.

The bad drink was left behind, and victories against Denver and Green Bay positioned them with a 7-3 record and it seemed that they would take home the AFC South for the third consecutive year, but the tragedy began: since November 17 they did not meet again the triumph. Stumbles in a row against the Bengals, Eagles, Jaguars and Chargers exposed the reality of the Titans and, as if that were not enough, that afternoon in Los Angeles, Tannehill once again hurt the same ankle and was left out for the rest of the season.

Willis’s turn again to make the NFL regret let it slide till the third round of the 2022 Draft, but the rookie collected a loss against Houston and it was the last time he set foot on the field, finishing his rookie year with 31 of 61 completions for 276 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, and sad rating of 42.8. In other words, HC Mike Vrabel got tired of Willis and was benched in favor of QB3 Josh Dobbs, who the team only signed in late December.

For Week 17, with backup players, Tennessee clinched its sixth loss in a row against Dallas, but despite this, in Week 18 they still had a chance to win the AFC South. However, Dobbs had only been with the team for 17 days, and his lack of rhythm was revealed as they were defeated by the Jaguars 16-20 in a divisional matchup that ended up being the final nail in the coffin for a Titans who, if they went 7 -3, closed the year 7-10 and will watch the 2023 NFL Playoffs from home.

Best of Tennessee in 2022

MVP

The MVP of the Titans this 2022 is clear: Derrick Henry, who despite seeing his previous season cut short by a foot mishap after eight games, this season ended with 349 carries for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns, in addition to collaborating with 398 passing yards (personal best) on 32 receptions. Thus, it is the third time that Henry has surpassed the 1,500+ yard barrier in seven years in the league, and he continues to establish himself as one of the best running backs in NFL history.

best performance

The Titans have always proven inferior to teams with winning records, but if in one game they could have been believed to be elite, it was in Week 9, when, even with Willis on offense, they forced a road trip for the Titans. the Chiefs will defeat them 17-20 in overtime. In acting, Henry shone with 17 carries for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns, and though Patrick Mahomes completed 43 of 68 passes for 446 yards, he was limited to 1 TD with 1 INT.

Sure, the game didn’t turn out to be favorable for Tennessee, but they never came close to stealing a score from a league powerhouse like that time. And, sure, with Tannehill throwing the ball (out this week with an ankle injury) it would have been another story.

The worst of the Titans in 2022

Todd Downing

The best years for the Titans were 2019 and 2020, with Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, but his fruitful time led him as head coach to Atlanta in 2021. Since then, the Todd Downing era began, and in his second season as OC in Tennessee he became the problem by commanding the third-worst offense in the league at 314.5 yards per game, and fourth-worst at 190.5 passing yards per game. With a playcalling Pretty predictable, Downing is the saddest thing to happen this season in this franchise.

worst performance

The Titans didn’t get a win this year against teams that had records over .500 when they met them, but the biggest disparity came early in the season, in Week 2. Buffalo tore Tennessee to pieces in a game where Henry only carried for a season-low 25 yards and Tannehill was just 11 of 20 for 117 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs. With their offensive figures collapsing, it’s obvious why the Bills made the scoreboard so bulging.

What do we expect from Tennessee next season?

The Titans are perhaps the only remaining team looking to win the old-fashioned way: running, and they’re the run-down fortress no one wants to face. It’s not always enough, though, and this year they’ve shown themselves to be more dependent on Tannehill than they once seemed, and more than they’d like to admit. However, Tannehill, since his time in Miami, has proven limited, and so he should be surrounded with a decent receiving corps, but Tennessee hasn’t provided one.

In fact, quite the opposite. With the departure of AJ BrownHis notional replacement, Treylon Burks, didn’t take off in his first season, and Robert Woods, a once-reliable Rams staple, didn’t help either. Both were the Titans’ best receivers this year, but they barely broke the 500+ yard barrier. It can’t go on like this: Tennessee has a high school and pass rush respectable, a runner made of other material and it only remains to be able to combine it with a decent passing game.

However, that has been the same problem in recent years and they have not been able to solve it, but when they do, which could be next season with a good draft and free agency, they could quickly return to the elite of the league. For now, it is time to regroup, recover all their injured players and thus try to recover the AFC South in the short term.

How would you describe the Titans’ 2022 NFL Season? What to expect from them next year? We read you in the comments below this article and on our social networks.

Don’t miss the 2022 Season tally of all NFL teams: