It might be time to start paying attention to the Tennessee Titans


The Tennessee Titans — yes, you heard that right — are the hottest team in football that doesn't employ Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Despite a 2-4 start to the season, the team has a shot to establish itself as the team to beat in the AFC South with a win over their division rival, the Houston Texans on Sunday. But it may be time to start wondering if the Titans have the legs to make an even deeper run come January as they seek their fifth straight victory.
First off, though, the Texans should not be taken lightly (The Ringer pegged this game as "the best football of the day"). Sure, Houston is coming off a surprising blowout loss to the out-of-contention Denver Broncos, but they're just two weeks removed from handling the New England Patriots, and sit atop the division alongside Tennessee at 8-5. So the Titans have a long way to go before they start thinking about the postseason.
But a win might prove that the performances during the win-streak from Tennessee's entire roster and especially quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose insertion into the starting lineup was the spark the team needed, haven't been flukes. Like a few other playoff contenders, the Titans haven't beaten too many teams of note this year. But in recent weeks they did knock off the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs, as well as the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders both of whom not too long ago looked like they could sneak into the postseason. This team, it seems, is for real, and it might be time to pay attention. The Titans and Texans will square off at 1 p.m. E.T. on CBS.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year