Why Titans fans should root for late-season wins!
Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans won their most recent contest against the Cleveland Browns with a final score of 31-29. This was only the team’s second win of the NFL season to this point, so you would think that fans would be ecstatic – and some are – but there is a good chunk that would have preferred to lose.
The first overall pick of the NFL draft is a position of power that rivals nothing else in football, especially for a team that has their quarterback position comfortably addressed already. This gives the team the ability to either draft a generational prospect first overall, similar to what the Cleveland Browns did in order to land Myles Garrett, or trade back for a major haul of draft picks. It is understandable for fans to want to see their team get into a versatile position like this, but there are so many benefits to winning games in the Titans' position that fans are simply disregarding.
Written by Brody Rupert
Contributor for SharmSports
Morale
First off, and what I think to be the most important, is the morale boost to the players that are important for our future, and most crucially, Cam Ward. It is clear as day that the morale has been tested in the Tennessee Titans locker room this season, with multiple players asking for release, personalities fading, and a losing culture building. We hit a point a few weeks ago where only two players were willing to talk to reporters in the locker room after a game– Chigoziem Okonkwo and Arden Key. This shows where the players’ heads are at: everyone is accepting defeat.
Cam Ward stated earlier this season that his “love of the game has been tested.” This is not at all what you want to see from your franchise quarterback, especially in his very first season. If his morale and motivation are dampened, his development is going to be rougher and likely hurt his chances of becoming the player the team needs. Along with this, the team around the quarterback will not want to stick around when there is no sign of a winning culture being built. The team needs its star players to stick around, especially those who have opportunities to go elsewhere.
This losing mentality has already started to show a clear contradiction in the locker room, with Cam Ward voicing that he is still not satisfied after getting only his second career win. This is the mentality you need in a leader, but edge rusher Arden Key went on the intercom, stating to the team, “Don’t listen to Cam, enjoy this one.” This is a story that has been significantly overblown by the media, but still showcases a problem in the locker room: the Titans have lost so much that they are satisfied with one win. Getting another win or two before the end of the season can grant some much-needed momentum for this team going into next season, both mentally and physically.
Head Coach
Secondly, the Titans are a team in the market for a new head coach, and getting some wins and some good play on the football field can help solidify this job as the best. As of now, the Tennessee Titans are not the clear-cut most attractive job for a premier head coach, with the Giants seeming like the better job of the two current vacancies by displaying a potential franchise quarterback with many extremely talented young players.
If the team can go out and perform well through the last few weeks, however, and Cam Ward proves himself as the first overall pick he was, then the Titans' job could be much more intriguing to a head coach, especially one who specializes in being able to develop quarterbacks. A good coaching staff can make or break a franchise, so getting the best one available is of the utmost importance.
Free Agent Talent
Thirdly, no NFL player wants to go play for a sucky team. Plain and simply put, if the Titans show themselves as a decent football team with a bright future, more free agents will want to come and be a part of it. Big-name free agents have offers from many teams, so being a team with a better future, coach, organization, and winning culture is helpful for distinguishing the Titans from all of the other franchises.
It is important to capitalize on this as soon as possible, as if the Titans end up releasing some rumored veterans such as Calvin Ridley and L’Jarius Sneed, they could be setting themselves up for well over 150 million dollars in cap space this offseason. If they do a good job of setting themselves up for 2026, the Titans could jumpstart their window of success.
Spoiling other team’s chances
Who doesn’t love spoiling a team’s playoff chances or significantly hurting their seeding? The Titans have the opportunity over the next four weeks to put a curve on some teams in the playoff hunt, which has already begun to spark motivation in some of the players, with one stating, “These next few weeks are for ruining other teams’ seasons.”
The Chiefs are down to potentially one more loss before being eliminated from playoff contention – wouldn’t it be super nice to be the team that ruins it for them for the first time in Patrick Mahomes’ career?
The 49ers are 3rd in their division and are one game behind the two leaders – wouldn’t it feel great to drive a knife into their hopes to win the division?
Most importantly, wouldn’t it be nice to hurt our division rival’s record right before the playoffs by getting the upper hand on Jacksonville in Week 18?
Overall, being in a position to trade out of the first overall pick would be amazing for the future of the team, but there are so many benefits to winning games too, so be a true fan and root for the Titans to win week in and week out.
