Mike Vrabel will be entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. He received a contract extension in February of 2022 after having a productive 2021 season where the Titans barely lost to the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional round. But 2022, however, was not the year the Titans had hoped for after finishing 12-5 the previous year. Between rumors of them trading their prized running back Derrick Henry, to even their starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, they seem to be in a certain influx of change moving forward.
They'll be quite a few interesting narratives entering 2023 for the Titans. One will be when and if second-round pick Will Levis gets the starting job. Will this be yet another letdown of a quarterback draft pick for the Titans? Also, who is going to step up as a reliable receiver for this team? Because the Titans didn't do much to help that matter in the draft.
Luckily for the Titans, they have the fifth easiest schedule, play in a division that, outside of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is manageable for winning some games.
With all 32 NFL teams schedules now officially released, let's take a look and give a game-by-game prediction on each matchup.
Week 1 – Sun 9/10 – 1:00 pm EDT – Caesars Superdome
at New Orleans Saints
It’s easy to prepare for Week 1 as everyone has been prepping for it for months. Mike Vrabel is an excellent game planner, bringing the most out of what he’s got. I could see the Titans pulling an upset here, with a learning curve for Derek Carr in his first game as a Saint. Titans will have people talking about a win in the Superdome.
Record: 1-0
Week 2 – Sun 9/17 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Los Angeles Chargers
Things get a little harder in Week 2 when Justin Herbert and the Chargers come to Music City. The Chargers have a lot to prove this year and the Titans are in a minor rebuild. Tennessee also gave up an NFL-worst 4,671 yards last season. Herbert finished second in passing yards last season. Not good for the Titans.
Record: 1-1
Week 3 – Sun 9/24 – 1:00 pm EDT – FirstEnergy Stadium
at Cleveland Browns
This is going to be a telling year for the Browns with a full year of Deshaun Watson under center. This could be a bit of a coming-out party for Watson. The Titans don’t fare well in Cleveland on this day.
Record: 1-2
Week 4 – Sun 10/1 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Cincinnati Bengals
Again, last year the Titans were one of the worst against the pass. They’ll be welcoming one of the top quarterbacks in the entire league to their home in Joe Burrow. Unless there’s some amazingly good Vrabel coaching here, Titans lose.
Record: 1-3
Week 5 – Sun 10/8 – 1:00 pm EDT – Lucas Oil Stadium
at Indianapolis Colts
This is a promising game for the Titans because the Colts are simply not good and will be trying to prepare their first-round pick, Anthony Richardson, to take over the starting quarterback position. It’s doubtful he starts by Week 5, and even if he did, it probably wouldn’t matter.
Record: 2-3
Week 6 – Sun 10/15 – 9:30 am EDT – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Baltimore Ravens
This will technically be one of nine home games for the Titans when they host the Ravens in London. But they'll be no home-field advantage across the pond, especially against the Ravens, even if the Titans' run defense is one of their few strengths.
Record: 2-4
Week 7 – BYE
Week 8 – Sun 10/29 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Atlanta Falcons
Under Vrabel, the Titans haven’t lost coming off a bye. While this will be an interesting matchup for the return of Arthur Smith to Nashville and his old team, the streak for Vrabel comes to an end. Titans lose, but it’s close.
Record: 2-5
Week 9 – Thur 11/2 – 8:15 pm EDT – Acrisure Stadium
at Pittsburgh Steelers
Thursday night games have been a bit of an anomaly. They were some of the worst games last season after the NFL signed a 10-year deal with Amazon Prime to broadcast the Thursday night matchups. Both teams are coming off short weeks, but for no good reason, I believe the Titans go into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers, who are trying to find their identity.
Record: 3-5
Week 10 – Sun 11/12 – 1:00 pm EDT – Raymond-James Stadium
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Titans and Bucs don't seem too far apart from each other. But I believe the Titans could actually have the advantage offensively, especially at running back, and Ryan Tannehill is a lot more serviceable than Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask, or whoever else wants to try to start for the Bucs.
Record: 4-5
Week 11 – Sun 11/19 – 1:00 pm EDT – TIAA Bank Field
at Jacksonville Jaguars
For the third week in a row, the Titans are on the road, this time in AFC South divisional play. There's a good chance the Jags are hitting on all cylinders by this point in the season. They roll the Titans.
Record: 4-6
Week 12 – Sun 11/26 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Carolina Panthers
Who knows who will be starting in Carolina by this point? Bryce Young could still be under the learning tree, or he could be under center. Regardless, the Panthers still need a lot of work. The Titans outmatch them here.
Record: 5-6
Week 13 – Sun 12/3 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Indianapolis Colts
There are always those weird games in the season where a team loses to a team they shouldn't. This is that week for the Titans where they still can't reach .500 and get beat by a struggling Colts team.
Record: 5-7
Week 14 – Sun 12/11 – 8:15 pm EDT – Hard Rock Stadium
at Miami Dolphins
Well, this won't be the best of Sunday Night Football. With only the second primetime game of the year for the Titans, this one might get ugly. But then again, Tua Tagovailoa could already be hurt again, and the Dolphins could be swimming in mediocrity. Still, the Dolphins are way too talented, which means the Titans lose.
Record: 5-8
Week 15 – Sun 12/17 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Houston Texans
Finally, a chance for the Titans to get back in the win column. It's the Texans, c'mon.
Record: 6-8
Week 16 – Sun 12/24 – 1:00 pm EDT – Nissan Stadium
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks surprised a lot last year and they had a solid draft class to help for the upcoming season. I still don't trust Geno Smith as the future quarterback for the Seahawks, but he'll be good enough to beat a Titans team under .500.
Record: 6-9
Week 17 – Sun 12/31 – 1:00 pm EDT – NRG Stadium
Houston Texans
Refer to Week 15. Titans get their final win of the season.
Record: 7-9
Week 18 – TBD – Nissan Stadium
Jacksonville Jaguars
The only way the Titans win this game is if the Jags pull their starters because their playoff position is all but secured. Either way, the Titans are likely to play some very uninspired football by then, setting them up for a top-10 pick in the draft.
Record: 7-10
The Titans finish the season like they did last year, at 7-10, looking ahead yet again to the draft.
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