Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST BEAT New York Jets in Week 1 & Biggest X-Factor Matchups on New Schedule

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans must beat the New York Jets in week one. I'm going to tell you why. Let's tell you what other games are a must win for the Titans this year on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland Titans fans.

Starting point is 00:00:34 On today's show, we're going to continue breaking down the Tennessee Titans schedule. I'm going to tell you the games that could help the Titans hit their ceiling, their breakout games on the schedule. Also, we're going to talk about the X Factor games that I think could make a big difference in whether the Titans hit their ceiling or get closer to their floor. Also, we're going to start with must-win games. And again, I think that includes week one against the New York Jets. And I've seen some people say, and I understand where they're coming from,

Starting point is 00:01:05 week one, there can't be a must-win game in week one. It's too early in the season. It's literally the first game of the year. It cannot be a must-win game. I've had people reference the New England Patriots who lost last year in week one to the Raiders and then went to the Super Bowl. And listen, those are valid points. I'm not going to say that those are wrong,

Starting point is 00:01:28 but I think that there are unique situations that are unique to the Titans that make Week 1 a must-win game and I don't think that it's wrong. Number one, the Titans aren't the Patriots. Just point-blank period, as simple as that statement can be. The Titans are not the Patriots. There is not the institutional confidence

Starting point is 00:01:50 and the understanding that the organization is one of the best in the NFL and they're going to figure it out. Like the players in the locker room, the coaches, the organization, the fan base does not have that kind of confidence in Tennessee. And they shouldn't. Let's be real.

Starting point is 00:02:08 The Patriots are one of the best organizations in the NFL, especially over the last 30 years. So the Titans fan base shouldn't feel as confident and as cozy and as comfortable as the Patriots fan base. The players, the organization, the workers in the building. Like, it's just totally different when you're the New England Patriots than when you're the Tennessee tight. So I'm sorry, that right there makes it different.

Starting point is 00:02:33 And the Titans are coming off back-to-back three-win seasons. Now, I know that the Patriots were coming off a four-win season, but again, this is where the institutional confidence kicks in. Patriots fans are like, okay, it's a down year. We're going to come back. It's not that bit. You know, we'll figure it out and get back on track. When do Titans fans feel like that?

Starting point is 00:02:54 Why should Titans fans have institutional confidence that they're going to get back on track after back-to-back three-win It is different. The vibes are different. The feeling is different. How these teams are going to be confidence-wise, like the players in the locker room for the Titans, they need that win in week one against the Jets.

Starting point is 00:03:15 So to me, the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the NFL last year. Let's just be real. That's not going to happen for the Tennessee Titans. Like, there's just no way that that's going to be how it works out. the differences in the franchise and another honest truth. Mike Frable and Josh McDaniels are way more successful, proven coaches than Robert Sala and Brian Dable are. I mean, that's just the facts.

Starting point is 00:03:50 The pelt's on the wall, the wins, the success. It's just different. Okay? So when people reference the Patriots say, oh, the Patriots lost week one last week. So week one can't be a must win game. And that's the Titans aren't the Patriots. Things are different.

Starting point is 00:04:08 The Titans need that win desperately to give them confidence to have some proof of concept with the new coaching staff and everything new. And the fan base needs it. Imagine if the Titans lose to the Jets in week one, the panic in the fan base. And I have learned through conversations with people who are close, who work in the building,

Starting point is 00:04:28 involved in different aspects of the Titans business, that they feel the fan base in the building way more than I think that I realize. I tend to downplay the impact that the fan base and Twitter and all this stuff actually has out on the field. But the players can feel how the fan base is feeling, the momentum, the confidence, all of that stuff, the building can feel that how the fans are feeling. locally from national fans online.

Starting point is 00:05:01 Like these people who work in the building and these players are online too. They see the tweets and see how fans are joking and what they're talking about and like, that's just part of life now. And I don't give that enough credence. So if the Titans lose that game against the Jets, the reality is there is going to be sky is falling,

Starting point is 00:05:20 chicken little straight up panic button pressing. That is what's going to happen if they don't beat the Jets. So they're not the Patriots. And let's not act like it feels the same for both those teams. The Titans likely will not have the easiest schedule in the NFL next year to help make it back after a week one win. The coaches were more proven for the Patriots than the Titans coaches are. There's so much more uncertainty with the Tennessee Titans going into this season

Starting point is 00:05:50 than there is with the New England freaking Patriots organization. So to me it's totally different. The Titans must win against the Jets. They must set a proper tone. They must have some confidence. They must feel like it was all worth it. At home too. And then you add the revenge factor with Robert Sala's old team

Starting point is 00:06:10 and how bad the Jets were last year and the players who used to play for the Jets and the players are used to play for that. And you put all of that together. That is a must win game. There is so much confidence, so much personal stuff writing on that game. It makes it a must win game.

Starting point is 00:06:27 It is different than other teams and other situations unique to the Titans, and it makes it a must-win game. Now, it's not the only must-win game. Week 6 against the Browns at home is a must-win game. If the Titans want to win six or seven games, if the Titans want to make a playoff push, again, not that I think the playoffs are likely, but if the Titans are going to be the team that we need the Titans to be,

Starting point is 00:06:57 and that is six wins minimum. I need six wins out of the Titans this year. If they get less than six wins, the season feels like a failure. If they get five wins, the season feels like a failure. So if they're going to get six wins, seven wins, which is where I want them to be, they got to beat the Browns at home. There is no outcome this year, in my opinion,

Starting point is 00:07:27 where the Cleveland Browns should be better than the Titans. None. I can't accept that. I can't. I can't. It cannot be the case with Shador and Watson. I just can't accept that. Todd Munkin,

Starting point is 00:07:47 it would totally disrupt everything I believe about the Titans if they lose that game. They can't do it. They have to beat the Browns at home in week six. The schedule was not easy enough for them to not. not win that game. And especially the start of the season, the first seven, eight weeks, they need to win that game against the Browns. Period. Now, my final must-win game

Starting point is 00:08:15 is the home game in week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Titans have to win a division game. They can't get swept in the division. We can't. We can't stand for it. I can't do it. They got to win one of their division games. And home against Indianapolis

Starting point is 00:08:38 is probably the one that I think is the best chance. Now, out of the buy week in week 10 or week 9, they played Jacksonville in week 10. At home. You could make the argument

Starting point is 00:08:53 that Jacksonville at home coming out of the buy, but I think Jacksonville is a better team. than Indianapolis. Now, I don't think Jacksonville will be as good this year as they were last year record-wise, but I still think they're going to be better than Indianapolis.

Starting point is 00:09:06 So Indianapolis, at home, week 15, and late in the season, if the Titans are trying to be competitive, they need to win that home game against the Colts, win a division game. And honestly, I think they should pick up both

Starting point is 00:09:21 the Jacksonville game at home and the Indianapolis game at home. They should win both of those games. but the Indianapolis one, I'm going to need that. Like, I need that win against Indy late in the season at home. Screw the Colts, man. You guys know how it goes. FTC.

Starting point is 00:09:41 But with that being said, those are my must-win games for the Titans. The Jets in week one, the Browns in week six, and then the Colts in week 15. But now I want to talk about X-factor games because these are games that are going to decide whether the Titans hit their floor or whether they hit their ceiling. Do you want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. The NBA playoffs are here and every possession matters if you're looking to get even closer to the action.

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Starting point is 00:12:08 Fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, we're breaking down the Tennessee Titans schedule. We just did the must win games for the Titans. Now I want to talk about the X-factor matchups that can be the difference between the ceiling and the floor. And I want to talk about some breakout games where if the Titans totally busts, totally bust through their ceiling and have a way better season that anyone is expecting. There are games that they're going to win on their way to do that.

Starting point is 00:12:51 Before we dive into it, although, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans. Your first listen each and every day. Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribe. Stay subscribe. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys.

Starting point is 00:13:10 If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. We got full team OTAs starting next week for the Tennessee Titans. We're going to have media availability, practice availability, all of that. I'm going to keep you up to date on what took place at practice every single day. Make sure, again, that you stay locked in to the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. Locked on Titans. But with that being said, as we talk about X-Factor games, again, my whole thought around X-Factor games is if the Titans win these games,

Starting point is 00:13:41 they're going to hit their ceiling this year. And I think their ceiling is 10 wins. If the Titans lose all these games, they'll probably be closer to their floor, like five, six wins, I would say. That's where I'm at with these games. But number one on my list of that is at the Baltimore Ravens, Week 4.

Starting point is 00:14:06 Because the Titans have a, again, it's not a tough, start to the stretch, but it's a very mixed back. They have games that I think they should win, like Cleveland, like, or like the Jets, like the Giants, like Cleveland. But they also have games that I don't have a lot of faith that they're going to win. Like Philadelphia, like Houston, and Baltimore. But out of Philadelphia, Houston, and Baltimore,

Starting point is 00:14:38 Baltimore is the game that I'm most like, I think the Titans might be able to pull that off. I think the Titans might be able to get a win there. I think Houston's going to be better than Baltimore. I think the Eagles are a very good team. But Baltimore, Baltimore could go either way. And my thing is, I look at their coaching hires. I am not overly enamored with the coaching hires for the Ravens.

Starting point is 00:15:08 I think Jesse Mentor, very good defensive mind. but young coach who had a strong coach ahead of him and Jim Harbaugh for the last few years, is Jesse Minter truly ready to lead the team? He can't just be the defensive wizard anymore. He's got to be a leader. Can he do that? And then Declan Doyle. My guy Nick Cattles from Locked on Patriots,

Starting point is 00:15:34 who I do Friday's edition of Locked on NFL with. He was laughing at me yesterday because Declan Doyle is squarely in my, crosshairs. All right. I do not trust Declan Doyle. He's the same age as Lamar Jackson. Who do we think is going to win the schematic battle? Robert Sala or Declan Doyle? And why would Lamar Jackson be best in a Ben Johnson style, Jared Gough style offense anyway? How does that make sense? It doesn't make sense. So I don't think that

Starting point is 00:16:16 Lamar Jackson is going to be maximized in the Raven system. I do not trust their offensive coordinator. I think Robert Sala can box Declan Doyle's ears off schematically. If the Titans win that game against Baltimore, let's say they beat the Jets, they beat the Giants.

Starting point is 00:16:37 They beat Baltimore on the road to go to 3 and 1 again, that is how the confidence that that creates, just the pure math of adding an extra win that didn't seem likely, a road game against a rival, who's a good football team with one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL, that's a tough game.

Starting point is 00:17:03 If the Titans win that one, that's the type of win. Now we're three and one. That propels you to 10 wins on a season. and similarly, week seven at the Cincinnati Bengals. That's an X-factor game. The Titans could lose that.

Starting point is 00:17:21 They're not going to be favored to win on the road. I think the Bengals will be better this year. I like the Bengals this year. That offense is diabolically hard. They could make it tough on the cornerbacks. Can they guard those receivers? The Titans secondary could be a weak link in the defense that people aren't talking about enough.

Starting point is 00:17:38 Like it all comes together. All of my thoughts. come full circle that we've been talking about the last few weeks. But if the Titans beat Cincinnati, again, a fast start, a strong start to build confidence and proof of concept in what the coaching staff is preaching, critical to hitting their ceiling this year. But if they beat Baltimore and they were to beat Cincinnati in week seven,

Starting point is 00:18:04 Browns, Giants, Ravens, Jets, Bengals. The other three games are Eagles, Texans, which I think are losses, but one of them is the Colts. The Titans could be five and

Starting point is 00:18:30 or what's the math on that? Seven weeks. The Titans could be four and three. The Titans could be five and two. Going, forget who they play in week eight. I'll pull up the schedule and look,

Starting point is 00:18:50 But again, that is how you get to 10 wins. And I think that Baltimore and Cincinnati are beatable. Like they're not so good that they can't be beat. I don't buy that. Okay, so again, beat the Jets in week one, lose to Philadelphia, beat the Giants in week three, you're two and one. you beat Baltimore, you're 3 and 1. You lose to Houston, you're 3 and 2,

Starting point is 00:19:23 then you're at Indianapolis. Let's say you lose, you're 3 and 3. You beat Cleveland and beat Cincinnati going into the buy, you're 5 and 3. That's the way to do it. And the Titans could sweep Indy this year. I don't think it would be crazy. I'm not going to count on that, but I mean,

Starting point is 00:19:37 that could be 6 and 2. But again, Baltimore and Cincinnati are swing games, X-factor games here, that I think could push it either, way. And then another one, and coincidentally, another ASC North team. The Pittsburgh Steelers at home in week 17. That is a game I am expecting the Titans to lose. That is a tough late season matchup in January.

Starting point is 00:20:06 The Titans rarely beat the Steelers it feels like in my lifetime. Whether it's home away, doesn't matter. It just rarely happens. But if they were to beat the Steelers, because think, their week 13 their home against Washington. Then they're away against Detroit. That's going to be a tough game.

Starting point is 00:20:26 I think they lose. But then they're home against Indy, away against the Raiders, and home against Pittsburgh. That's four out of five weeks there. Washington, Indy, Vegas, Pittsburgh, where I think the Titans win, Washington, Indy, and Vegas. I think those are wins for the Titans right there.

Starting point is 00:20:46 Home against the commanders, home against the Colts, away against the Raiders. Those are three wins in my opinion. So if you add in Pittsburgh in week 17, that means that the Tennessee Titans have won four of their last six games, no matter what,

Starting point is 00:21:01 even if they lose to Houston in the final week, and they've won four of their last five games going into a final week showdown with Houston. Again, you could see how with Baltimore, Sincere, and Pittsburgh, they win those three games and they combine it with the Jets, the Giants, the Browns,

Starting point is 00:21:28 you know, one of the Colts games, the commanders. Now we're looking at eight or nine wins. Now we're getting closer to 10. Again, the ceiling. So I think the AFC North teams, Baltimore, Sinci, Pittsburgh, those are the X-factor games for the Titans

Starting point is 00:21:46 because they're difficult enough where I could see the Titans losing and it wouldn't be crazy to say the Titans would lose, and I'd pick them to lose all three of those games. But it wouldn't be that crazy to see the Titans win them either. They're X-factor games. And back to the old AFC Central, old-school rivalry games as well.

Starting point is 00:22:07 But those are the games that I think decide the Titans' ceiling or floor. But if the Titans break through the ceiling and have a breakout season, like the Patriots or the Bears or the Jags, there are a couple of games that I'm certain that they're going to win as well. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. The 2026 NFL schedule release is here

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Starting point is 00:23:21 10 K-A-L-S-H-I-K-K-S-H-I, Kalshi, trade on anything. Let's cap off today's bonus edition of the Locked-on Titans podcast. Again, we're breaking down the Tennessee Titans schedule. I did my must-win games for the Titans with the Jets, the Browns, and the home game against the Colts. I did my X-Factor games for the Titans all in the AFC North at Baltimore at Cincinnati and home against Pittsburgh. But now we've got to talk about the breakout games.

Starting point is 00:24:03 If the Tennessee Titans have a magical season, if they break out this year. There are a few games that I think are obvious games that they are going to win. Now, before we dive in, thanks again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. If you want to be a true everydayer,

Starting point is 00:24:19 you got to join the Locked on Titans every day or club. Hit the link down below in the description. You're going to get commercial free versions of the podcast in your favorite podcast app. That's worth it alone. You're also going to get added to the Locked on Titans every day or group chat with me and all the other everydayers.

Starting point is 00:24:36 where you can ask mailback questions, get my instant reactions to big time news, Titans and NFL, ask those opinions, we talk about everything. Make sure that you hit the link down below in the description, join the Locked-on Titans every day or club now. But again, the breakout games for the Tennessee Titans, number one is the Philadelphia game in week two at home.

Starting point is 00:24:57 That's a high-profile game, early-season matchup. Again, we talked about it. If the Titans were to win that game against Philly, I think they win against the Jets in week one, win against the Giants in week three. That's 3 and 0. And a win against Philadelphia, again, a high-profile big-time team.

Starting point is 00:25:19 And then following that up with a win against the Giants who are another high-profile big market team, that's a wake-em-up stretch right there. The Titans just beat two teams from New York and Philadelphia. this is a real football team now. Again, that is, we're talking about, I'm talking about past 10 wins.

Starting point is 00:25:43 Breakout season, 12, 13 wins for the Titans. That starts with beating Philadelphia and going 3 and up against all big markets. Like, boom, Shakaaka, we are here. That's a breakout. Now, the next game on my list for a breakout is at Detroit. in week 16, right?

Starting point is 00:26:11 At Detroit, week 14, week 14 at Detroit. That right there, again, I talked about that stretch. Washington, Detroit, Home versus Indy, Vegas, Pittsburgh. If the Titans were, I think the Titans beat Washington. So you beat Washington, and then you win at Detroit. You come home, you beat Indianapolis, at home, you go to Vegas, you beat the Raiders, you come home, you beat the Steelers, that's a 5-0 stretch that would take the Titans. Again, if they're going to win 12, 13 games,

Starting point is 00:26:45 that means they're only losing 5 or 4. That's a lot of wins. So, Detroit is one of those breakout games to me where not only are they a high-profile team that everybody pays attention to, but it's an away game, it's late in the season, and it's in the middle of a stretch where the Titans can really run it off. That's how they break out, is that kind of win. And then finally, the last one is at Houston week 18.

Starting point is 00:27:13 I think Houston's going to be really good. What if the Titans and the Texans are fighting for the division in that final game of the year? They both have 11 wins or Houston has 12. The Titans have 11. They're fighting to get there and tie them and maybe there's tiebreakers and just, that's a breakout.

Starting point is 00:27:34 If the Titans are having a, a monster game against the Texans in week 18, it's because they broke out. Simple as that. So those are my breakout games. So my must-win games, Jets, Browns, or home versus the Colts. My X-Factor games that decide the ceiling or the floor,

Starting point is 00:28:01 Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh. my breakout games were the Tennessee Titans win the division Philadelphia at Detroit at Houston. Those are the ones. So, we'll see how they do, but the schedule is out now and the only thing left

Starting point is 00:28:21 is to play some football. With that being said, though, that is going to do it for me today, folks, as always. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST BEAT New York Jets in Week 1 & Biggest X-Factor Matchups on New Schedule

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