2018 Tennessee Titans season

The 2018 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and their 59th overall. It also marked the franchise's 22nd season in the state of Tennessee, their first under head coach Mike Vrabel, and the first with new uniforms and blue helmets, as they have worn white helmets since the club was based in Houston, Texas. This season marked the third of four straight in which the Titans finished 9–7. The Titans failed to qualify for the postseason after losing a Week 17 win-and-in contest against their division rival Indianapolis Colts.

2018 Tennessee Titans season
OwnerAmy Adams Strunk
General managerJon Robinson
Head coachMike Vrabel
Home fieldNissan Stadium
Results
Record9–7
Division place3rd AFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersOT Taylor Lewan
DT Jurrell Casey
P Brett Kern
Uniform

In Vrabel's first year with the team, the Titans went 3-3 against divisional opponents, sweeping the Jacksonville Jaguars for the second straight year. The Titans also beat the New England Patriots for the first time since 2002. Quarterback Marcus Mariota had a difficult season, going 7-6 as a starter, throwing 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions, and missing three games due to injury. Backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert started three games, including the season finale against the Colts in which the Titans were eliminated from the playoffs. One major highlight was the breakout season of running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 1,059 yards and 12 touchdowns. This would be the first of Henry's three-straight 1,000-yard seasons. In a 30-9 Week 14 Thursday Night win over the Jaguars, Henry would rush for 238 yards (franchise record) and four touchdowns (tied-franchise record) on 17 carries, including an NFL-tying record 99-yard touchdown run.

Coaching changes

In their second full season under head coach Mike Mularkey in 2017, the Titans reached the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Titans won their first playoff game since 2003 in an 18-point halftime comeback wild card victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 22-21.[1] They were then soundly defeated by the New England Patriots 35-14 in the divisional round.[2] The next day on January 15, 2018, the Titans and Mularkey agreed to part ways, ending his three year tenure as head coach with a record of 20–21.[3] Owner Amy Adams Strunk stated that Mularkey and the front office "saw different paths to achieve greater success," specifically with Mularkey not wanting to change any of his coaching staff.[4] Five days later, the Titans named former Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as the new head coach.[5] Vrabel became the 19th head coach in franchise history. Two weeks later on January 30, the Titans announce the hiring of new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. LaFleur was with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, and was credited for the development of Jared Goff and a Rams offense that led the league in points on route to an 11-5 record.[6] On the same day, the Titans hired their new defensive coordinator Dean Pees.[7] Pees had retired two weeks earlier with the Baltimore Ravens, citing his comeback with the Titans due to missing the game.[8] Pees served as the Ravens defensive coordinator since their 2012 Super Bowl run, and his 2017 defense led the league in shutouts and takeaways.[9] The next day, the Titans announced several additions to the coaching staff, including quarterback coach Pat O'Hara, secondary coach Kerry Coombs, outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, inside linebackers coach Tyrone McKenzie, and wide receivers coach Rob Moore.[10]

Notable acquisitions

On March 15 the Titans signed two notable former New England Patriots players, running back Dion Lewis and cornerback Malcolm Butler.[11][12] The two reunited with current cornerback Logan Ryan, who also played for the Patriots, in which their last season in New England together was capped off with a Super Bowl comeback win. Lewis was most known for his performance in the 2017 season, and Butler was most known for his game-winning interception in Super Bowl XLIX. The Titans signed their new back-up quarterback on March 26, seven-year veteran Blaine Gabbert, after releasing Matt Cassel earlier in the offseason.[13][14] On August 4, the Titans signed safety Kenny Vaccaro following Johnathan Cyprien's season-ending ACL tear.[15] On August 28, shortly before their final preseason game, the Titans traded their sixth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens for outside linebacker Kamalei Correa.[16]

Draft
Main article: 2018 NFL Draft
2018 Tennessee Titans Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
122 Rashaan EvansILBAlabama
241 Harold LandryOLBBoston College
5152 Dane CruikshankSArizona
6199 Luke FalkQBWashington State
2018 Tennessee Titans Draft Trades
Draft Pick Year Round Overall Team Received
2018125to Baltimore RavensReceived Baltimore's 2018 first-round selection (No. 22 overall) and 2018 sixth-round compensatory selection (No. 215 overall).[17]
4125
2018257to Oakland RaidersReceived Oakland's 2018 second-round selection (No. 41 overall).[17]
389
20185162to Baltimore RavensReceived Baltimore's 2018 fifth-round selection (No. 152 overall).[17]
6215
20187243to Kansas City ChiefsReceived defensive lineman David King.[18]

Undrafted free agents
2018 Tennessee Titans Undrafted Free Agents
Name Position School
Austin Barnard P/K Samford
Cameron Batson WR Texas Tech
Deontay Burnett WR USC
Dalyn Dawkins RB Colorado State
Nick DeLuca ILB North Dakota State
Matthew Diaz OT Wagner
Matt Dickerson DE UCLA
Nico Falah C USC
Sharif Finch OLB Temple
Rico Gafford CB Wyoming
Elijaah Goins CB Ohio State
Joshua Kalu CB Nebraska
Ryan McKinley CB Montana
Elijah Nkansah OT Toledo
Mike Ramsay DT Duke
Larry Rose III RB New Mexico State
Devin Ross WR Colorado
Aaron Stinnie OG James Madison
Jordan Veasy WR California
Akrum Wadley RB Iowa
Damon Webb S Ohio State
Ethan Wolf TE Tennessee

Source:[19]

Made regular season roster

Staff
2018 Tennessee Titans staff
Front office
  • Owner – KSA Industries
  • Controlling owner – Amy Adams Strunk
  • President, chairman and CEO – Steve Underwood
  • Executive vice president and general manager – Jon Robinson
  • Vice president of football administration – Vin Marino
  • Vice president of player personnel – Ryan Cowden
  • Director of college scouting – Jon Salge
  • Director of pro scouting – Brian Gardner
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Kevin Turks

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Mike Vrabel
  • Assistant to the head coach – John Streicher

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Craig Aukerman
  • Assistant special teams – Matt Edwards

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Tom Kanavu
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Brian Bell
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Taylor Porter

Final roster
2018 Tennessee Titans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 12 inactive, 10 practice squad

Team captains

Source:[20]

Preseason
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 9 at Green Bay Packers L 17–31 0–1 Lambeau Field Recap
2 August 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 14–30 0–2 Nissan Stadium Recap
3 August 25 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 6–16 0–3 Heinz Field Recap
4 August 30 Minnesota Vikings L 3–13 0–4 Nissan Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

On January 11, 2018, the NFL announced that the Titans would play the Los Angeles Chargers in one of three London Games at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with the Chargers serving as the home team. It was the Titans' first appearance in the International Series. The game occurred during Week 7 (October 21), and was televised by CBS in the United States. The exact date, along with the network and kickoff time, were announced in conjunction with the release of the 2018 regular season schedule.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 9 at Miami Dolphins L 20–27 0–1 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
2 September 16 Houston Texans W 20–17 1–1 Nissan Stadium Recap
3 September 23 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 9–6 2–1 TIAA Bank Field Recap
4 September 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 26–23 (OT) 3–1 Nissan Stadium Recap
5 October 7 at Buffalo Bills L 12–13 3–2 New Era Field Recap
6 October 14 Baltimore Ravens L 0–21 3–3 Nissan Stadium Recap
7 October 21 at Los Angeles Chargers L 19–20 3–4 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
8 Bye
9 November 5 at Dallas Cowboys W 28–14 4–4 AT&T Stadium Recap
10 November 11 New England Patriots W 34–10 5–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
11 November 18 at Indianapolis Colts L 10–38 5–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
12 November 26 at Houston Texans L 17–34 5–6 NRG Stadium Recap
13 December 2 New York Jets W 26–22 6–6 Nissan Stadium Recap
14 December 6 Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–9 7–6 Nissan Stadium Recap
15 December 16 at New York Giants W 17–0 8–6 MetLife Stadium Recap
16 December 22 Washington Redskins W 25–16 9–6 Nissan Stadium Recap
17 December 30 Indianapolis Colts L 17–33 9–7 Nissan Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 1: at Miami Dolphins
Week One: Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 0 01720
Dolphins 0 7 31727

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Due to two weather delays, the game lasted for 7 hours and 10 minutes, the longest game since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.[21]

Week 2: vs. Houston Texans
Week Two: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 3717
Titans 14 0 0620

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week Three: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 0 339
Jaguars 0 3 036

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week Four: Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Eagles 0 10 73323
Titans 3 0 710626

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 5: at Buffalo Bills
Week Five: Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 3 0612
Bills 7 0 3313

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: October 7
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 68,202
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week Six: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Ravens 7 7 7021
Titans 0 0 000

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 7: at Los Angeles Chargers

NFL London Games

Week Seven: Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 3 7619
Chargers 10 0 7320

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

Game information

Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys
Week Nine: Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 14 7728
Cowboys 7 7 0014

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Week 10: vs. New England Patriots
Week Ten: New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 3 7 0010
Titans 17 7 3734

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 11: at Indianapolis Colts
Week Eleven: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 3 0710
Colts 7 17 7738

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: November 18
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 57,401
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 12: at Houston Texans
Week Twelve: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 10 0 7017
Texans 7 17 3734

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,826
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 13: vs. New York Jets
Week Thirteen: New York Jets at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 10 6 6022
Titans 0 6 71326

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 60,904
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 14: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week Fourteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 2 0 709
Titans 7 9 14030

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 15: at New York Giants
Week Fifteen: Tennessee Titans at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 7 0 7317
Giants 0 0 000

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 74,538
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
Week Sixteen: Washington Redskins at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 7 3316
Titans 6 3 01625

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

The Titans were the only AFC South team to defeat all four of their NFC East opponents in 2018.

Week 17: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week Seventeen: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 10 7933
Titans 0 10 7017

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Division
AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Houston Texans 11 5 0 .688 4–2 9–3 402 316 W1
(6) Indianapolis Colts 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 433 344 W4
Tennessee Titans 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 310 303 L1
Jacksonville Jaguars 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 245 316 L1

Conference
AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 4 0 .750 5–1 10–2 .480 .401 W1
2[lower-alpha 2] New England Patriots East 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 .482 .494 W2
3[lower-alpha 2] Houston Texans South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 9–3 .471 .435 W1
4 Baltimore Ravens North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 8–4 .496 .450 W3
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 1] Los Angeles Chargers West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .477 .422 W1
6 Indianapolis Colts South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 .465 .456 W4
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 6 1 .594 4–1–1 6–5–1 .504 .448 W1
8 Tennessee Titans South 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 .520 .465 L1
9 Cleveland Browns North 7 8 1 .469 3–2–1 5–6–1 .516 .411 L1
10 Miami Dolphins East 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .469 .446 L3
11[lower-alpha 3] Denver Broncos West 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 .523 .464 L4
12[lower-alpha 3] Cincinnati Bengals North 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .535 .448 L2
13[lower-alpha 3] Buffalo Bills East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 .523 .411 W1
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .549 .463 L1
15[lower-alpha 4] New York Jets East 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .506 .438 L3
16[lower-alpha 4] Oakland Raiders West 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .547 .406 L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
  1. Kansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers based on division games.
  2. New England finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  3. Denver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  4. NY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory.
  5. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References
  1. Hoffman, Benjamin (January 6, 2018). "Marcus Mariota, With a Play for the Ages, Leads the Titans Past the Chiefs". NYTimes.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  2. Hightower, Kyle (January 14, 2018). "Patriots back in AFC title game, Titans trip into offseason". APNews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  3. Sessler, Marc (January 15, 2018). "Mike Mularkey, Titans mutually agree to part ways". NFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. Chavez, Chris (January 15, 2018). "Mike Mularkey, Titans Mutually Agree To Part Ways Despite Contract Extension Talks". SI.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  5. Shook, Nick (January 20, 2018). "Texans DC Mike Vrabel named Titans head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  6. Knoblauch, Austin (January 30, 2018). "Matt LaFleur named Titans offensive coordinator". NFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. Wesseling, Chris (January 30, 2018). "Dean Pees named Titans' new defensive coordinator". NFL.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  8. Mink, Ryan (February 7, 2018). "Dean Pees Says He Wasn't 'Forced to Retire' and Ravens Offered an Extension". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  9. Wyatt, Jim (January 29, 2018). "Titans Name Dean Pees DC, Matt LaFleur OC". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  10. Wyatt, Jim (January 31, 2018). "Titans Add Assistant Coaches to Mike Vrabel's Staff". Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  11. Wyatt, Jim (March 15, 2018). "Titans Reach Deal with Former Patriots RB Dion Lewis". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  12. Wyatt, Jim (March 15, 2018). "Titans Reach Deal with Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler". TennesseeTitans. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  13. Wyatt, Jim (March 26, 2018). "Titans Agree to Terms with QB Blaine Gabbert". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  14. Wyatt, Jim (March 9, 2018). "Titans Plan to Release Cassel, Searcy, Weems". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  15. Herndon, Mike B. (August 4, 2018). "Report: Titans sign safety Kenny Vaccaro". MusicCityMiracles.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  16. Wyatt, Jim (August 28, 2018). "Titans Agree to Trade with Ravens, Acquire LB Kamalei Correa". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  17. "2018 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves". nfl.com. NFL. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  18. Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Trade for Chiefs DL David King". titansonline.com. Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  19. Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Reach Deals with 22 Undrafted Free Agents". titansonline.com. Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  20. Wyatt, Jim (September 3, 2018). "Titans Elect Five Captains for 2018 Season". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  21. "Titans vs. Dolphins - Game Recap - September 9, 2018". ESPN.
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