Mike Mularkey's "Exotic Smashmouth" attack now has some serious air support after loading up via the draft and in free agency. Will it put the Titans over the top in 2017 to snap a playoff drought that is going on eight seasons?
The Titans, led by one of the NFL's best offensive lines and bruising runners DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, just missed the playoffs last season at 9-7. Here's what's in store for this season.
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SportsLine
| Projected wins | In playoffs | Win division | Conference | Super Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3 | 46.6% | 38.5% | 1.9% | 0.8% |
SportsLine projects the Titans as the favorites in the AFC South despite seeing them as basically an 8-8 team, but the Texans and Colts both have projections within one win. That could make for an exciting December as the Titans try and close things out and win the AFC South title.
Vegas
| Win total | Playoffs | Division | Conference | Super Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 (O -155) | +110 | +160 | 15/1 | 30/1 |
All odds via Westgate.
The Titans have picked up a bit of buzz as a potential sleeper team, and taking them to reach nine wins involves dealing with a heavy amount of juice. If that line jumps to nine wins, expect the opposite, with plenty of action on the Under. The books are making the Titans about 50/50 proposition to make the playoffs, which the projections above agree with.
Experts
| |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Record | 9-7 | 10-6 | 11-5 | 10-6 | 9-7 | 11-5 |
| Playoffs? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Ryan Wilson defends his 11-5 prediction:
It all starts with Marcus Mariota, who quietly had a more efficient sophomore season than the man drafted ahead of him back in 2015, Jameis Winston. The Titans added playmaking pass catcher Corey Davis in the draft, and with so much uncertainty in the rest of the division -- Andrew Luck is still battling a shoulder injury, the Texans don't know who their starting quarterback is, the Jaguars are sticking with Blake Bortles for now -- the Titans have their best chance to win the division and make the playoffs since 2008.
