Are the Tennessee Titans the best team in the AFC?
Are the Tennessee Titans the best team in the AFC now? Two weeks ago, the answer would've been no. The Buffalo Bills were the hottest team in the NFL with a record of 4-1 and shut out two opponents with a combined score of 75-0.
The Titans are coming off wins against the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs in their last two games. They're 5-2 and on pace to win the AFC South by a significant margin over the Indianapolis Colts.
With Derrick Henry putting up MVP stats and the star wide receivers finally healthy, the Titans are starting to put it all together.
But should they be considered the best team in the AFC as we near the midseason mark of the season?
Are the Tennessee Titans the best team in the AFC?
The Tennessee Titans are the best team in the AFC at this given moment in time. The NFL rankings change weekly, but entering Week 8, the Titans are the best team in the AFC. However, their margin over the Bills is still small enough to be overcome.
That said, the Tennessee Titans are the best team in the AFC right now and are Super Bowl contenders. As much as the offense deserves credit, it's the defense that's stepped up and earned the Titans' right to be called contenders.
It’s time to start talking about the Titans as a Super Bowl contender: https://t.co/DQjNMQR08K
The Titans held Patrick Mahomes to the lowest number of points scored in his career. All three levels of the defense have shown improvement from years past.
It starts in the secondary, where Kevin Byard is Pro Football Focus's highest-graded safety of the year.
Losing rookie cornerback Caleb Farley to a torn ACL is a blow to their cornerback depth. Luckily, Kristian Fulton has impressed and will be off of IR in a couple of weeks.
While the pass defense isn't quite a strength yet, it's improved from past years.
The Tennessee Titans defense making strides as the season progresses
The pass rush has stepped up majorly and is a big reason for the Tennessee Titans' success. Harold Landry III is second in the NFL in sacks with 7.5.
Defensive end Jeffery Simmons is proving to be one of the biggest steals of his draft class.
With the Bengals on the verge of a win in Baltimore, the #Titans have a fair claim as the AFC's top team after back-to-back wins over the Bills and Chiefs. Tennessee is 5-2 and coasted 27-3 against KC with smooth two-dimensional offense and a big pass rush that stopped big plays. https://t.co/YjzgqWCUl8
If the defense is average, then the Tennessee Titans definitely deserve to be in the conversation for the best team in the AFC.
The offense is only going to get better with Julio Jones and A.J. Brown finally healthy at the same time.
But the Titans will need to stay sharp and not slip up as they did against the New York Jets. The Bills are dangerous and talented. They'll be looking to make a statement coming off their bye week.
The race for the top team in the AFC will be an exciting one to watch.