Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TOUGHEST Games in 2022, Easiest Games & Toughest Stretch of Matchups

Episode Date: May 18, 2022

The Tennessee Titans face off against some of the best teams in the NFL in 2022, but which of these matchups are the TOUGHEST??!! Tyler goes through the 2022 Titans schedule to determine just that! Next, which games are on the opposite side of the spectrum? Which are the easiest for the Titans upon initial review? Tyler crafts his list. Finally, out of the entire schedule, what is the toughest stretch of games for the Titans and how will they be able to navigate it? Tyler goes over the tough run and the likely outcome!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is a Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. And on today's show, we're diving back into the 2022 Tennessee Titans regular season schedule. We got three more categories of games to go over today. What are the toughest games on the Titans schedule? What are the toughest games on the Titans schedule? What are the easiest games on the Titans schedule? And what is the toughest stretch of games the Titans will have to go through?

And how will they get through it? We're talking about all of that on a Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Let's get it! Titans fans, it is a Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We're diving back into some schedule analysis. The schedule came out on Thursday. I went live. I got to break down my initial thoughts with you guys, but I had all weekend to go over it.

Monday, rookie minicamp recap had to happen. I got to break down my initial thoughts with you guys, but I had all weekend to go over it. Monday, rookie minicamp recap had to happen. Yesterday, we talked about the X Factor games, the must-wins, the games that I'm most excited for. Today, we'll get into the toughest, the easiest, and then the toughest stretch. Before we dive into the toughest games on the schedule for the Titans, though, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen to the Locked on Titans podcast, make sure you subscribe

on whatever platform you do stream. You will find the Locked on Titans podcast everywhere and always free. That includes the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Subscribe over there. Smash that notification bell so you know when the content goes live.

Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now. You can find me on social media at TicTacTitans on Twitter, at LockedOnTitansPod on Facebook. Again, Monday through Friday, free daily Tennessee Titans content all year round. Stay locked in to the LockedOnTitans podcast. But I want to dive into the toughest games that the Titans will have to play this season.

And let me know below. Hit me up on Twitter at TicTacTitans. Let me know what you guys think. The toughest games of the year will be the easiest games of the year. The toughest stretch. Let me know if you agree, disagree, whatever thoughts you have.

Of course, put them down below. But for me, the toughest games of the year start week number two. Yes, the Titans have had the Buffalo Bills number in recent years. But Buffalo is a very good football team. They are a much improved football team upon last year already. Playing at Buffalo, a tough environment with a great fan base. It's going to be ready to go. Remember, the last two Titans wins were not in

Buffalo. Okay? And the last time the Titans played in Buffalo, I believe it was 2018, they lost the drop. Oh, God. Still hurts. But Monday night football, primetime matchup, big game, tough team,

on the road, good fan base. I think that's a very difficult game to win. If the Titans were able to win that game, that would just be a huge one early on in the season. Knowing the Titans, they'll lose to the Giants in week one and then beat Buffalo in week two, and we'll laugh about this. But that's just initially looking at the schedule, definitely one of the toughest games that the Titans have this season.

Then, of course, as always, and yes, I know that it was an easy game last year. I get that the Titans put it on them, and it didn't look great, and it seems kind of crazy, but listen. There's no way that you can play in Kansas City against the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and it be anything other than one of the toughest games of the season. There's just no way around it, okay?

Anytime the Titans go up against the Chiefs, I'm going to consider it a tough game. Yeah, they might get lucky and the Chiefs may have a terrible day and may be playing terrible football at the time. But more times than not, it's going to be a close, tough, difficult game to win.

That's what I expect from a game on the road in Week 9 against Kansas City. Definitely one of the toughest games of the year for the Titans. The third game is that home game against Denver. It's come up a lot.

I had it as an X-Factor game, which I think it is. I had it as one of the games I'm most excited about, which I am. But it's also going to be one of the toughest. I think Denver's going to be good. I think Denver's going to be good. And even if Denver isn't the best team in their division,

I think it's going to be a really difficult game for the Titans at home. It's not going to be an easy one. Denver's going to come to play. So in Week 10, especially when you consider the Titans play Kansas City on the road, come home, play Denver with a game on Thursday night football against Green Bay looming. That's a tough stretch right there. And that's going to be a tough game for the Titans. And as I just mentioned, that game in Week 11

at Green Bay on Thursday night football, after playing at Kansas City, playing home against Denver, two good teams. And then you've got to go on the road in a short week against Green Bay, who just whooped you last time you played, against a guy in Matt LaFleur who knows you. That right there is going to be a tough game. If I had to pick the game that I'm most confident

the Titans will lose, it's that game against Green Bay on Thursday night football in Green Bay. That's the, if I had to rank them from number one is the game I think the Titans will lose most certainly. Number 17 is the game I think the Titans win most certainly. Green Bay is that game.

So definitely the toughest game on the schedule. And then number five, not in order, but the fifth tough game I want to talk about. That game against Cincinnati at home. Cincinnati's good. I think they're a tough matchup for the Titans because of the weapons they have outside and because of Burrow's ability to be unaffected by the pass rush and because

Jesse Bates just owns Ryan Tannehill. There's no way around it. That's how I see it. So those are the toughest games for the Titans this season. Four of them coming in a four-week stretch. Just absolutely murderer's row there

for the Titans, and that's a little bit of a hint at what we'll talk about to cap off the show. But next, we need to talk about the easiest games on the schedule for the Titans, which, of course, they'll inevitably lose a couple of those because that's just how the Titans roll. But before we get into that, I want to tell you guys about the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy from our friends over at Built Bar. You get the best of both worlds with Built Bars. You get all the health benefits that you want from a protein bar. They're low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, but you get excellent taste. I mean, there are a ton of Built Bar flavors that I've had that taste better than most candy bars that I've had. And one of those flavors is the Birthday Cake Puff Bars.

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You'll get 15% off your next order. Once again, that's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Titans fans, we just talked about the toughest games on the Titans schedule in 2022. Now I want to talk about the easiest games on the schedule for the Titans as we continue this Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Before we get into the easiest games, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast. Before we get into the easiest games, do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream

Monday through Friday, free daily Tennessee Titans content, your team every day here at the Locked on Titans podcast. Also, got to tell you guys, tomorrow's show, very excited to roll it out. It is a Malik Willis deep dive. I'm going to have Malik Willis' quarterback trainer on the show to break down his development and what he's seen from Willis in the years that he's known him.

I'm going to talk to a guy who covered Malik Willis for two years during college. Very excited for that. And then I'm going to give some of my analysis about what he can be in 2022, what he's got to do to be who we need him to be in 2023. So excited for the Malik Willis deep dive coming out tomorrow. So make sure you guys check that out. But diving into the easiest games on the schedule,

and as I kind of laughed about at the end of last segment, the Titans are bound to lose a couple of these games, and they're bound to win more of the tougher games than we expect. That's just the way that the Tennessee Titans are. It's just how it works out. So with that in mind, we'll get into the easiest games, but of course, things change all the time, so I don't mean to disparage any of these teams that could be better than expected. Honestly, I think one of these teams who I'm going to talk about first is going to be better than expected, but that maturation and that

progress for that team may not happen early in the year. And that is the week one matchup against the New York Giants. Again, you got new head coach and Brian Dable coming over as the, from the offensive coordinator position in Buffalo. You got aink Martindale coming over as the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. I think both those guys are excellent coordinators, and I think that they're going to be able to get the Giants back to playing better football. But in week one, they're not going to be ready with their new schemes

and feel comfortable in week one. And with Daniel Jones being the turnover machine that he is against the Titans defensive front, which is the strength of the team, that should be a win. That should be one of the top five easiest games on the schedule. Yeah, I'm not saying that the Titans will win. I'm not guaranteeing victories here, but they should.

And to start off the year at home against a younger team with brand new coaches, I mean, the situation makes it so that it must be one of the easiest games of the year. I called it a must win for the Titans. If they want to be who most of you guys in the comments think that they can be. So to me, that's the number one, just starting week one, right out of the gate. It has to be the New York Giants. It has to be that game. It has to be one of the five easiest games of the year. Number two, we're staying. We're staying here in the NFC East. Week five matchup on the

road against Washington. Again, I don't want to call them the WashingtonC East. Week 5 matchup on the road against Washington. Again, I don't want to call them the Washington Commanders. I think that name sucks. Should have been the Washington Pigskins. Not only do you keep the ability to call them the Washington Skins, but also they have their Hog Molly

mask that they wear in the crowd. The pig suey stuff. Pigskins? The pigs? That works with what their fan base has been doing for decades? Also, Washington Pigskins translates directly to the Washington football team. Because a pig...

It was right there. It was right there. It was right there. It's not one of those names where you're trying to take yourself too seriously, like commanders. It's not too goofy. The Washington Pigskins. It would have been perfect. But either way, the Titans play the Washington football team on the road in week five,

and they have to win. Carson Wentz, turnover machine, yes. Washington has a really good defensive line as well. For certain, they do. But when you look at the games the Titans have, their own division, the AFC West, you look at those NFC East games, they're going to have to take a couple of those. And Washington and the Giants are the two teams I think they have to take.

Again, this is another one. I call it a must win for the Titans. A must win. They have to. Also, moving forward, the home game against Jacksonville. Week 14, it's in the final stretch of the year. The Titans are going to need to rattle off some wins after coming out of a very difficult stretch of games from week 7 all the way to week 13. You got the Colts in there. You got the Chiefs. You got the Packers. You got the Broncos. You got the Eagles. You got the Chiefs. You got the Packers. You got the Broncos.

You got the Eagles. You got the Bengals. Coming out of that stretch the last five games of the year, Titans are going to have to pick up some big wins. And one of those is at home against Jacksonville. Absolute easiest game on the schedule in the division all year long. I think Jacksonville will be slightly improved. I still don't think they're going to be good.

So you got to win that game at home, especially because of the back end of the season factor. Same thing, week 16 against Houston. One of the easiest games of the year for the Titans. At home against Houston, you have to win that game. You just have to. Later in the season,

all the different factors. You play Houston earlier in the year, which will be a more difficult matchup when their season is still feeling promising or feeling possible. Later in the year, another thing about Jacksonville too, you get later in the year,

week 14, week 14, week 16, these teams are going to be viewing their mortality. They're going to be realizing, oh, okay, we're not going to make the playoffs. We're not going to win a Superbowl.

And that gives you an advantage there and makes it easier. And then finally, this was a tough one to decide on, but I went with the week 18 matchup on the road against Jacksonville. And one of the reasons that it's easier than the road game against Houston is the 10 days of rest. The Titans play the Cowboys the second last week of the season on Thursday night football, and then they get 10 days rest before they go on the road to play Jacksonville. Again, the tanking factor here, Jacksonville is going to realize they're not in the playoffs. They're going to realize this season isn't going to amount to anything special.

And with that in mind, the last game of the year, Week 18 against Jacksonville with 10 days rest, is not the fifth easiest in turn of ranking, but my fifth easiest game on the schedule for the Titans. We're going to look at the toughest stretch of games for the Titans and how they have to navigate it to close out this Wednesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Before we get into it, I do want to tell you guys about BetOnline.net.

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wager on. Basketball playoffs, MLB's regular season, boxing, UFC, the horse race is coming up. Literally everything. You're going to find it at BetOnline.net. Make sure you go there today. Bet online where the game starts. Titans fans, we're going to cap off this Wednesday edition

of the Locked on Titans podcast. We went over the toughest games of the year. We went over the easiest games of the year. Now I want to talk about that toughest stretch of games, and I've hinted at it throughout the episode. It's been teased and teased and teased, but now we're here. And before I get into it, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day.

As for your second listen, make sure you check out the Locked On NFL podcast. You get all your Titans news here with me on the Locked On Titans podcast. Get all your national NFL news with the Locked On NFL podcast. It's free and available on all platforms, including the Locked On NFL YouTube channel. Monday through Friday, under 30 minutes, all your national NFL news from a bunch of different Locked On hosts. I actually host the Thursday show, so make sure that you check out the Locked On NFL podcast. Throw a sub there. I would greatly appreciate the support.

Again, I do the Thursday show, so check that out at minimum. But also got to tell you guys, the Malik Willis deep dive background episode is coming out tomorrow. I'll have his trainer, Sean McAvoy, on the show. I'll have a guy who covered him for two years in college from Locked On Auburn, my guy Zach Blackerby. I'm gonna provide some

analysis at the end of the show, talking about what Malik can be in 2022, and what he can be in 2023, and beyond. So, make sure that you guys tune in to that tomorrow. It's going to be an excellent episode. Also, you thought I was going to leave you guys without telling you, drink some water. Yes, you, you hooligan.

Drink some water. Great, now that we're all hydrated and can move forward, let's talk about this toughest stretch of games. So for me, it's obvious. It's just like last year. It's a mid-season tough stretch. Week 9, and honestly, you could maybe even expand this to Week 7 to Week 13 if you wanted to do that because the Titans play against the Colts,

but then they have a Week 8 game on the road against Houston, which maybe you would say, oh, that breaks the Colts. But then they have a week 8 game. On the road against Houston. Which maybe you would say. That breaks the tough streak. But if you just look at it overall. Playing the Colts. Then Houston. Then on the road against Kansas City. At home against Denver.

On the road against Green Bay. At home against Cincinnati. On the road against Philly. I mean that stretch from 7 to 13, even if you want to cut out the Indy game at home, and you want to cut out the Houston game on the road and just go 9-13, at Kansas City, Sunday night football, versus Denver at home, at Green Bay on Thursday night football, home for Cincinnati, at Philadelphia,

so you got Sunday night football in there, you got Sunday night football in there. You got Thursday night football in there. You got a playoff rematch in there. You got the AJ Brown revenge game in there. And the only game that I didn't mention is a home game against Denver. Well, as a hall of fame quarterback now, I mean,

again, we looked at this stretch last year for the Titans, the five game stretches that they had. They had Indy had Kansas city, had Buffalo, had the Rams, had the Saints in there as well before we knew that the Saints would be without Winston because of the ACL tear, and they'd get Trevor Simeon

and still almost lose, if not for two missed kicks by the Saints. So, in that stretch, the Titans ended up going 5-0. Toughest stretch of the year, 5-0. But they'll lose to the Texans. They'll lose to the Jets. And they'll lose to the Steelers. Wild. Wild stuff from the Titans. So, out of this toughest stretch of games,

at KC Sunday Night Football, home for Denver, at Green Bay Thursday Night Football, home for Cincinnati, at Philadelphia, At KC Sunday night football. Home for Denver. At Green Bay Thursday night football. Home for Cincinnati. At Philadelphia. They can win three of those. They're in a good spot.

And a better team than maybe I'm predicting. Three of those would be huge. Just monstrous for the Titans. If they go 5-0 again, we'll shut it down. Here comes the number one seed again. Okay? But that's clearly the toughest stretch of games for the Titans, no doubt about it. Right now, I think they win two of them.

I think they win that game against Denver at home. They find a way. I think they win that game at Philadelphia. And if they don't win that game at Denver, or the game with Denver at home, I think they could beat Cincinnati at home. I think they could beat Cincinnati. They were close last year.

If Ryan Tannehill doesn't play one of the worst games of his entire career, they probably win by 10 points. But I don't want to go down that path again. So, easily the toughest stretch. So, just to recap everything we've talked about in the last two days. The must-win games. Home, Week 7 against Indianapolis.

Home, Week 14 against Jacksonville. Home, Week 16 against Houston. Week 5, on the road against Washington. Home, Week 1 against the Giants. The X-Factor games that will decide the ceiling or the floor for the Titans. Week 3 against the Raiders at home. Week 10 at the Giants. The X-Factor games that will decide the ceiling or the floor for the Titans. Week 3 against the Raiders at home. Week 10 at home against Denver.

Week 15 on the road against the Chargers. Week 4 on the road against Indy. And Week 17 at home on Thursday night football against Dallas. The games I'm most excited for that Week 10 matchup against the Broncos at home. The Week 12 matchup against Cincinnati at home, on the road against Philly in week 13, Thursday night football at home against the Cowboys in week 17, week 15 on the road against the Chargers.

Today's games, the toughest ones, week two, Monday night football at Buffalo, week nine, Sunday night football at Kansas City, week 10, home for Denver, week 11 at Green Bay on Thursday night football. Week 12, home against Cincinnati. The easiest games week one against the Giants at home. Week five on the road against Washington. Week 14 at home against Jacksonville. Week 16 at home against Houston. Week 18 on the road against Jacksonville after 10 days rest in the toughest stretch at Kansas City for Sunday night football in week 9. Home against Denver in week 10.

At Green Bay on Thursday night football in week 11. Home for Cincinnati in week 12. On the road against Philly in week 13. So that is my complete schedule analysis. My instant recap. Had everything you guys need the last two days. Malik Willis' deep dive and background is tomorrow. So excited for all that.

Make sure you guys stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast, free and available on all platforms, Monday through Friday. Locked on Titans, your team, every day. That's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.