Herschel Walker on NFL plans to boost social justice initiatives, political blame game over COVID response
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The Tennessee Titans were one game away from the Super Bowl last season, and after being sent home by the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, the Titans had an eventful offseason, which included signing NFL Comeback Player of the Year Ryan Tannehill and the league-leading rusher Derrick Henry to long-term contract extensions.
For the Titans, it will be very hard to duplicate their magical playoff run from a year ago, which featured huge road wins over the New England Patriots in the wild-card round and the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round, but Tennessee has some key pieces in place to make another run at the playoffs.
Henry, a 6-foot-3, 247-pound monster at running back, piled up 1,540 yards on the ground with 16 rushing touchdowns. The offense ran through Henry, but Tannehill's emergence at the quarterback position -- he took over for a benched Marcus Mariota -- was important for the Titans and their success. In 12 starts, Tannehill had 2,742 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and an incredible 117.5 passer rating.
At-the-time rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown turned into Tannehill's go-to target. Brown, who was off to a slow start with Mariota under center, ended up with 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdown receptions. It will be Brown's sophomore campaign in 2020, and he will look to take his game to another level as one of the league's premier wide receivers.
The late-addition of Jadeveon Clowney is going to make the Titans' defense even more fearsome. The team signed him with less than 10 days before the start of the season. He had three sacks and 31 tackles in his lone season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.
Here's what else you need to know about the Titans this year.
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5 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- TENNESSEE TITANS' ALL-TIME MOUNT RUSHMORE: 4 BEST PLAYERS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
- TENNESSEE TITANS 2020 SCHEDULE: 3 INTRIGUING MATCHUPS
- TENNESSEE TITANS: EACH NFL DRAFT 2020 SELECTION
- TITANS, DERRICK HENRY AGREE TO CONTRACT BEFORE NFL DEADLINE
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NEW ADDITION HIGHLIGHT: DARRYNTON EVANS
Darrynton Evans of the Appalachian State Mountaineers looks on during the game against the UAB Blazers during the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Dec. 21, 2019, in New Orleans, La. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Star running back Derrick Henry had over 300 carries in a fantastic 2019 season, but the Titans still went out and used a third-round pick on a running back in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With the No. 93 overall pick, the Titans rolled with Appalachian State tailback Darrynton Evans. He ran for 1,480 yards and 18 touchdowns in his junior season with Appalachian State and was named the 2019 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year.
NBC Sports' Peter King cited a source stating that Evans "has a chance to be a poor man’s Alvin Kamara.”
If Henry needs a breather or even if he deals with an injury in 2020, Evans, who is currently No. 2 on the Titans' depth chart, would step into a role right away with the team.
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PROJECTED STARTERS
Offense: Ryan Tannehill (QB), Derrick Henry (RB), A.J. Brown (WR), Corey Davis (WR), Adam Humphries (WR), Jonnu Smith (TE), Taylor Lewan (OT), Rodger Saffold III (OG), Ben Jones (C), Nate Davis (OG), Isaiah Wilson (OT)
Defense: Jeffery Simmons (DE), DaQuan Jones (NT), Isaiah Mack (DE), Jadeveon Clowney (LB), Jayon Brown (LB), Rashaan Evans (LB), Harold Landry III (LB), Malcolm Butler (CB), Kenny Vaccaro (S), Kevin Byard (S), Adoree' Jackson (CB)
Special Teams: Greg Joseph (K), Brett Kern (P)
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2020 TITANS SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, left, hands off to running back Derrick Henry in the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the New England Patriots, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
WEEK 1: @ Broncos (9/14, 10:10 pm)
WEEK 2: Jaguars (9/20, 1 pm)
WEEK 3: @ Vikings (9/27, 1 pm)
WEEK 4: Steelers (10/4, 1 pm)
WEEK 5: Bills (10/11, 1 pm)
WEEK 6: Texans (10/18, 1 pm)
WEEK 7: BYE
WEEK 8: @ Bengals (11/1, 1 pm)
WEEK 9: Bears (11/8, 1 pm)
WEEK 10: Colts (11/12, 8:20 pm)
WEEK 11: @ Ravens (11/22, 1 pm)
WEEK 12: @ Colts (11/29, 1 pm)
WEEK 13: Browns (12/6, 1 pm)
WEEK 14: @ Jaguars (12/13, 1 pm)
WEEK 15: Lions (12/20, TBD)
WEEK 16: @ Packers (12/27, 8:20 pm)
WEEK 17: @ Texans (1/3, 1 pm)
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ODDS
To win the Super Bowl: +3000
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Odds courtesy of Vegas Insider.