2019 Tennessee Titans Odds to win the Super Bowl with Expert Betting Predictions

Tennessee enters the season in a tough spot. They are a solid team with a very good defense. But they play in a very tough division, and it's not tough to make the argument that all four teams are in better all-round shape right now than the Titans are. If circumstances were different, then perhaps this is a team that could be in good shape. But it's quite possible that they have been left behind here.

Tennessee Titans Coaching

Mike Vrabel is back for another year in charge of the Titans. His first year had some rough spots - the team really struggled in October, for example. But given what he took over, finishing at 9-7 and narrowly missing the playoffs has to be seen as a reasonably successful start. Ideally, he would improve, but there isn't a lot of heat under his seat this point. Vrabel only faces one significant change in his staff. Matt LaFleur was the offensive coordinator last year but is now running the show in Green Bay. To replace him, the team elevated Arthur Smith, a son of the founder of FedEx, from the role of tight end coach. Smith has been with the team since 2011 - and is under his fourth head coach in that time - so he knows the team well, and there is a solid chance he will be fine in his new role.

Tennessee Titans Quarterback Situation

Marcus Mariota just needs to be better. After a really strong second season, he has taken steps back the last two years. He has thrown 24 touchdowns and 23 picks over those two years combined. And though his completion percentage jumped significantly last year, it has been a long time since he has felt particularly dangerous. He's not a guy you hate to play in any way, and in his fifth year in the league that is something that needs to change in a hurry. He needs to stay healthier than he has, and he needs to prove himself in a contract year. He also needs to deal with more pressure than he is used to, because the team picked up former Miami starter Ryan Tannehill as a second option. Tannehill is the kind of guy who looks good in practice, so if Mariota stumbles he'll see a threat over his shoulder, and it remains to be seen how he deals with that.

How The Tennessee Titans Improved

Adding Tannehill helps for depth. So does another former Dolphin, Cameron Wake, though the QB hunting linebacker is 37 and has likely seen his best days. They made a good value selection in first-round pick Jeffery Simmons, a DT from Mississippi State. He tore his ACL in February while getting ready for the Draft and will miss most or all of this season, but he was a Top 5 talent before the injury. It's a gamble that could pay off handsomely, though it means that in a tight race this year the team doesn't have the benefit of a first-round talent added to their roster.

How The Tennessee Titans Got Worse

The offense hasn't been good enough to help out an elite, dangerous, tricky defense, and it is hard to see how that changed. Smith is likely going to want to use more of a run-first, aggressive approach than LaFleur. But Derrick Henry is very streaky - 585 of his 1,089 rushing yards last year came in the last four games of the season - and isn't exactly dynamic. And while Dion Lewis is Versatile, he picks away at teams rather than overwhelms them. They didn't take big steps forward here, and aside from adding Tannehill, they didn't dramatically improve the offense elsewhere, either. They really need Mariota to shine but didn't do enough to improve his chances of doing so.

Tennessee Titans Schedule Analysis

They open at Cleveland and then against Tennessee, so the Titans get an early chance to see how they measure up against buzzy teams this year. Those are followed by a Thursday nighter in Week 3. That, in turn, means a longer than normal week of prep before Week 4 - an excellent time to have more time to tweak things that weren't quite right out of the gate. They play Houston in Weeks 15 and 17, so if the divisional race is tight those could really be crucial games.

2019-20 Tennessee Titans Betting Odds and Trends

The Titans are at +5000 to win the Super Bowl, which places them behind 21 other teams. That feels about right in terms of their place in the hierarchy. At +2800 to win the AFC, they sit ahead of only the Bills, Bengals and Dolphins. They are the longest shots on the board to win the AFC South at +700. The season win total sits at 7.5, with the "over" favored at -120. Mariota is a long shot to win the MVP at +8000, which puts him in a group that includes new divisional rival Nick Foles. He's at +15000 to lead the league in passing yards, which is deservedly near the back of the pack. In a slight insult, Tannehill is close behind at +20000. Given those numbers, it is no surprise that their receivers don't rank highly in the race to lead the league in receiving yards - Corey Davis is at +10000 and Adam Humphries is at +15000. Derrick Henry is the fifth choice to lead the league in rushing yards at +1200, tied with Todd Gurley. WR A.J. Brown, a second-round pick out of Ole Miss, is at +3300 to win offensive rookie of the year.

2019-20 Tennessee Titans Predictions and NFL Picks

I like the defense a lot, and if they can keep doing what they have done they are going to be very tough - and could really drive this team again as they did last year. But the offense is much, much tougher to love. I don't trust Mariota at this point, and don't think the pieces measure up. They are going to be in the mix in a tough division, but they are the most likely of the group to finish last.

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