2018 Tennessee Titans season
The 2018 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and their 59th overall. It also marks the franchise's 22nd season in the state of Tennessee, their first under head coach Mike Vrabel, and the first with new uniforms and blue helmets, as they have worn white helmets since the club was based in Houston, Texas. This season marks the third straight in which the Titans have finished 9–7. The Titans failed to qualify for the postseason after losing a Week 17 win-and-in contest against their division rival Indianapolis Colts.
2018 Tennessee Titans season | |
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Owner | Amy Adams Strunk |
Head coach | Mike Vrabel |
General manager | Jon Robinson |
Home field | Nissan Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 3rd AFC South |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | OT Taylor Lewan DT Jurrell Casey P Brett Kern |
Uniform | |
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One highlight from this season includes the Titans beating the New England Patriots for the first time since 2002.
Coaching changes
On January 15, 2018, the Titans and former head coach Mike Mularkey agreed to part ways, ending his three year tenure as head coach with a record of 20-21.[1] Five days later, the Titans named former Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as the new head coach.[2] Vrabel became the 18th head coach in franchise history. Two weeks later of January 30, the Titans announce the hiring of the new offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur. LaFleur was with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017, and was credited for the development of Jared Goff.[3] On the same day, the Titans hired their new defensive coordinator Dean Pees.[4] The next day, the Titans announced several additions to the coaching staff, including quarterback coach Pat O'Hara, secondary coach Kerry Coombs, outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, inside linebackers coach Tyrone McKenzie, and wide receivers coach Rob Moore.[5]
Offseason acquisitions
The Titans signed two former New England Patriots players. Running back Dion Lewis and Cornerback Malcolm Butler. The two reunited with current cornerback Logan Ryan, who also played for the Patriots, in which their last season in New England together was capped off with a Super Bowl comeback win.
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 | Rashaan Evans | ILB | Alabama |
2 | 41 | Harold Landry | OLB | Boston College |
5 | 152 | Dane Cruikshank | S | Arizona |
6 | 199 | Luke Falk | QB | Washington State |
Draft Pick Year | Round | Overall | Team | Received |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 1 | 25 | to Baltimore Ravens | Received Baltimore's 2018 first-round selection (No. 22 overall) and 2018 sixth-round compensatory selection (No. 215 overall).[6] |
4 | 125 | |||
2018 | 2 | 57 | to Oakland Raiders | Received Oakland's 2018 second-round selection (No. 41 overall).[6] |
3 | 89 | |||
2018 | 5 | 162 | to Baltimore Ravens | Received Baltimore's 2018 fifth-round selection (No. 152 overall).[6] |
6 | 215 | |||
2018 | 7 | 243 | to Kansas City Chiefs | Received defensive lineman David King.[7] |
Undrafted free agents
Name | Position | School |
---|---|---|
Austin Barnard | P/K | Samford |
Cameron Batson | WR | Texas Tech |
Deontay Burnett | WR | USC |
Dalyn Dawkins | RB | Colorado State |
Nick DeLuca | ILB | North Dakota State |
Matthew Diaz | OT | Wagner |
Matt Dickerson | DE | UCLA |
Nico Falah | C | USC |
Sharif Finch | OLB | Temple |
Rico Gafford | CB | Wyoming |
Elijaah Goins | CB | Ohio State |
Joshua Kalu | CB | Nebraska |
Ryan McKinley | CB | Montana |
Elijah Nkansah | OT | Toledo |
Mike Ramsay | DT | Duke |
Larry Rose III | RB | New Mexico State |
Devin Ross | WR | Colorado |
Aaron Stinnie | OG | James Madison |
Jordan Veasy | WR | California |
Akrum Wadley | RB | Iowa |
Damon Webb | S | Ohio State |
Ethan Wolf | TE | Tennessee |
Source:[8]
Made regular season roster |
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
Team captains
- Marcus Mariota (QB) [9]
- Delanie Walker (TE)
- Jurrell Casey (DE)
- Wesley Woodyard (LB)
- Daren Bates (ST)
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 17–31 | 0–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
2 | August 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 14–30 | 0–2 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 25 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 6–16 | 0–3 | Heinz Field | Recap |
4 | August 30 | Minnesota Vikings | L 3–13 | 0–4 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
On January 11, 2018, the NFL announced that the Titans would play the Los Angeles Chargers in one of three London Games at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with the Chargers serving as the home team. It was the Titans' first appearance in the International Series. The game occurred during Week 7 (October 21), and was televised by CBS in the United States. The exact date, along with the network and kickoff time, were announced in conjunction with the release of the 2018 regular season schedule.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | at Miami Dolphins | L 20–27 | 0–1 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 16 | Houston Texans | W 20–17 | 1–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 23 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 9–6 | 2–1 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap |
4 | September 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–23 (OT) | 3–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 7 | at Buffalo Bills | L 12–13 | 3–2 | New Era Field | Recap |
6 | October 14 | Baltimore Ravens | L 0–21 | 3–3 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
7 | October 21 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 19–20 | 3–4 | ![]() |
Recap |
8 | Bye | |||||
9 | November 5 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 28–14 | 4–4 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 11 | New England Patriots | W 34–10 | 5–4 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 18 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 10–38 | 5–5 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 26 | at Houston Texans | L 17–34 | 5–6 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 2 | New York Jets | W 26–22 | 6–6 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 30–9 | 7–6 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 16 | at New York Giants | W 17–0 | 8–6 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 22 | Washington Redskins | W 25–16 | 9–6 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 30 | Indianapolis Colts | L 17–33 | 9–7 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Miami Dolphins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 20 |
Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 27 |
at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: September 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C), Scattered Showers
- Game attendance: 65,184
- Referee: Jerome Boger
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Cris Carter and Sarah Kustok
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Due to two weather delays, the game lasted for 7 hours and 10 minutes, the longest game since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.[10]
Week 2: vs. Houston Texans
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
Titans | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 62,372
- Referee: Pete Morelli
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 64,015
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Titans | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: September 30
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 69,013
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 5: at Buffalo Bills
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
Bills | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 68,202
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 14
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), rain
- Game attendance: 64,441
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at Los Angeles Chargers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
Chargers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
at Wembley Stadium, London, England
- Date: October 21
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. BST/8:30 a.m. CDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 84,301
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 90,466
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 10: vs. New England Patriots
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Titans | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: November 11
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 69,363
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 11: at Indianapolis Colts
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Colts | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 18
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 57,401
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 12: at Houston Texans
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Texans | 7 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: November 26
- Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 71,826
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 13: vs. New York Jets
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
Titans | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 26 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game information | ||
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Week 14: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
Titans | 7 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 6
- Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 60,344
- Referee: John Parry
- TV announcers (Fox/NFLN): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 15: at New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Game information | ||
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Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Titans | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 25 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 22
- Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 60,746
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (NFLN): Curt Menefee, Steve Mariucci and Nate Burleson
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 17: vs. Indianapolis Colts
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
Titans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 30
- Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 68,978
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Division
AFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) Houston Texans | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 402 | 316 | W1 |
(6) Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 433 | 344 | W4 |
Tennessee Titans | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 310 | 303 | L1 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 245 | 316 | L1 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1[lower-alpha 1] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .480 | .401 | W1 |
2[lower-alpha 2] | New England Patriots | East | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .482 | .494 | W2 |
3[lower-alpha 2] | Houston Texans | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .471 | .435 | W1 |
4 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .496 | .450 | W3 |
Wild Cards | |||||||||||
5[lower-alpha 1] | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .477 | .422 | W1 |
6 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .465 | .456 | W4 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–1–1 | 6–5–1 | .504 | .448 | W1 |
8 | Tennessee Titans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .520 | .465 | L1 |
9 | Cleveland Browns | North | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 3–2–1 | 5–6–1 | .516 | .411 | L1 |
10 | Miami Dolphins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .469 | .446 | L3 |
11[lower-alpha 3] | Denver Broncos | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .523 | .464 | L4 |
12[lower-alpha 3] | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .535 | .448 | L2 |
13[lower-alpha 3] | Buffalo Bills | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .523 | .411 | W1 |
14 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .549 | .463 | L1 |
15[lower-alpha 4] | New York Jets | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .506 | .438 | L3 |
16[lower-alpha 4] | Oakland Raiders | West | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .547 | .406 | L1 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5] | |||||||||||
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References
- Sessler, Marc (January 15, 2018). "Mike Mularkey, Titans mutually agree to part ways". NFL.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- Shook, Nick (January 20, 2018). "Texans DC Mike Vrabel named Titans head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- Knoblauch, Austin (January 30, 2018). "Matt LaFleur named Titans offensive coordinator". NFL.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- Wesseling, Chris (January 30, 2018). "Dean Pees named Titans' new defensive coordinator". NFL.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- Wyatt, Jim (January 31, 2018). "Titans Add Assistant Coaches to Mike Vrabel's Staff". Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- "2018 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves". nfl.com. NFL. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Trade for Chiefs DL David King". titansonline.com. Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Reach Deals with 22 Undrafted Free Agents". titansonline.com. Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- Wyatt, Jim (September 3, 2018). "Titans Elect Five Captains for 2018 Season". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- "Titans vs. Dolphins - Game Recap - September 9, 2018". ESPN.