By Jordan Long
The Tennessee Titans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game 35-24. This marks the first time the Chiefs have advanced to the Super Bowl since Super Bowl IV, 50 years ago. For the Titans, they are now in the offseason. One big question for them is what they will do with quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill was dealt from the Miami Dolphins to the Tennessee Titans on March 15th, 2019. The Dolphins received a 2019 7th-round and a 2020 4th round NFL draft pick. The Titans already had a young starter in Marcus Mariota. Tannehill expected to be the backup.
In week 6, that all changed. The Titans were down 13-0 late in the 3rd quarter against the Denver Broncos. The offense didn’t seem to do much with Mariota. Tannehill came in with 2:38 left in the quarter. It was a chance for him to create a spark on offense. The Titans ended up being shutout 16-0 but after that game, Tennessee determined it was best to switch to Tannehill for the rest of the year.
Tannehill managed to go 7-3 as the Titans’ starting quarterback. He passed for 2,742 yards and 22 touchdowns. Tannehill wasn’t forcing throws downfield. He knew if he took a chance those were going to be intercepted. Tannehill tossed only 6 interceptions. With him, Tennessee finished 9-7, making the playoffs as the #6 seed in the AFC.
Tannehill helped Tennessee beat New England and Baltimore before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the playoff run, Tannehill totaled 369 yards passing, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. His offensive line gave him time to throw the football. He was sacked 5 times in the postseason, 3 of them came in the AFC Championship Game.
Now that the postseason run is over for the Titans, Tannehill needs to figure out his NFL future. He is going to be a free agent. According to NBCsports.com, Tannehill said, “I’ll have to take a step back and look at things here in the offseason. Obviously, I love this team. I love what this team was able to accomplish. I have a lot of love for the guys on this team and love playing with them. I will take a step back and look at that. But right now, I just really can’t think of anything but how close we were and this loss.”
The Titans have a choice to make. Both Mariota and Tannehill are scheduled to be free agents. The best decision they can make is to bring back Tannehill and let Mariota go. Tannehill proved he can handle being the #1 quarterback for the Titans. The offense seemed to play improved football with him under center. Tennessee will need to find a backup for Tannehill. If they let Tannehill go, it is back to the drawing board. Another team will pick Tannehill up because he is a veteran and knows how to win in this league.
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