Subscribe
Follow Us
The Tennessee Titans have one of the more unique backstories in NFL history, as the current AFC South franchise has come in many different forms throughout the years.
A staple of the classic NFL landscape as the Houston Oilers, the Nashville-based franchise then briefly became the Tennessee Oilers before full-on rebranding to the Tennessee Titans that we know today. Not only that, though, but the Titans initially served as a powerhouse of the AFC Central division before ultimately making the transition over to the AFC South.
A rejuvenated organization thanks to the team's success over the course of the last handful of seasons, the Titans have turned things around in a big way. Once again, one of the more intriguing teams in the AFC, the Titans have created some long-lasting rivalries despite only recently returning to form.
Indianapolis Colts
With future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning — among several other key players like wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne — leading the way for the always dangerous Indianapolis Colts for many years, the heralded AFC franchise quickly became a serious thorn in the side of the Tennessee Titans, who were previously led by the tandem of quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George before eventually turning to running backs Chris Johnson and Derrick Henry. Even with the Titans often on the wrong end of some hard-fought battles against pesky Colts, matchups between these two teams served as must-see television for quite some time.
Not only did the Titans and Colts serve as some of the best teams in the AFC for the early portion of the 21st century and slightly beyond, but Indianapolis and Tennessee presently play each other twice per season as members of the AFC South division as this rivalry has truly never waned. No matter where these two teams are in the standings, it always seems as though the Titans and Colts play some of the more meaningful games year-in and year-out — at least in the eyes of each franchise and their respective fan bases.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It always seems as though the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans play one another in primetime every season with Thursday Night Football often serving as the designated platform. Beyond that, though, the Titans and Jaguars have played in the same division for Jacksonville's entire existence, which has created quite the back-and-forth rivalry between these two AFC South foes that play each other twice every season. Although there was a time in which these two franchises typically battled it out to stay out of the cellar of the divisional rankings, there have also been a few occasions in which the Jaguars and Titans were vying for supremacy atop either the AFC South or AFC as a whole.
With Jacksonville and Tennessee each reaching the AFC Championship Game in recent years that created some memorable regular-season battles that featured high stakes playoff implications. As a result, the Titans have more often than not gotten the better of the rival Jaguars, thanks mostly to the continued success of workhorse running back Derrick Henry. However, this rivalry is nothing new as the Titans previously got through the Jaguars three separate times, including a postseason matchup, en route to a Super Bowl appearance back in 1999. The Jaguars went a perfect 14-0 against the rest of the NFL that season while dropping all three matchups against the Titans.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans have one of the most interesting rivalries in all of football as these two teams continue to battle it out as one sort of serves as the reincarnation of the other. With the Titans previously serving as the Houston Oilers before moving to Tennesse, the Texans have since filled that void in Texas while producing some notable moments and impressive stretches throughout the years.
With the Texans and Titans both playing in the AFC South division, and thus, suiting up against each other twice per season, it is hard not to tune into these matchups. Not only that, but both teams have found continued success over the course of the last several seasons as Titans versus Texans typically has some playoff implications on the line — this past season included.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers once played each other on a regular basis as these two teams served as staples of the AFC Central division before the latter joined the AFC North and the former the AFC South. Nonetheless, the Steelers and Titans still meet up every so often, which have always been insanely physical matchups, which is something that doesn't appear to be slated to change anytime soon.
Perhaps most memorably for the solidification of this rivalry, the Titans finally took over the reins of the AFC from the Steelers during the latter portion of the 2008 regular season as Tennessee manhandled Pittsburgh in Nashville. Throwing salt on the wound before the game even ended, Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck infamously stomped on the Steelers' “Terrible Towel,” which did not go over too well in the “Steel City.” Even in years since in which either team wasn't in playoff contention, the Titans and Steelers always seem to put on a show.
Baltimore Ravens
There is absolutely no doubt that outside of the team's AFC South counterparts, the Baltimore Ravens are the biggest rival of the Tennessee Titans. With these two teams previously serving as divisional foes as members of the now-disbanded AFC Central division, the Titans and Ravens originally formed such a back-and-forth affair as a result of intense regular-season matchups and even more palpable postseason bouts.
With the likes of running back Eddie George and quarterback Steve McNair initially paving the way for Tennessee to take on Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens, it was then another Tennessee legend in running back Chris Johnson and quarterback Kerry Collins that battled it out against a stellar Ravens defense once again back in 2008. A rivalry renewed in 2019; the Titans got their revenge against Baltimore for the Ravens' 2008 postseason win on the road in Nashville as Tennesse ousted the surging AFC North franchise from Super Bowl contention in the divisional round at M&T Bank Stadium.
