My Two Cents: Titans Players Not Interested in Tanking For Better Pick, But it Worked Out Anyway

The Tennessee Titans are eliminated from the playoffs, but don't tell the players to shut it down. They aren't wired that way. That's what made Sunday perfect. They entertained us for three hours — but lost anyway and moved up in the draft order. It's all good. Do it again next Sunday?

NASHVILLE — Sports is meant to be entertainment, and it's the basic tenet behind why we love it so much. We love the game, love the players, love the teams — most of the time — and love the whole idea of what we're doing every Sunday afternoon as an NFL fan.

As fans, you guys want to watch your team win. You folks here in Nashville love the idea of winning a Super Bowl someday, and you still stomp your boots over the few chances that have slipped away through the years. I get it.

Then there's the hard part, like the final three weeks of this season. The Titans are no longer in the playoff race, and for the first time ever in Mike Vrabel's six years as the head coach here, he's coaching games that don't really matter.

But don't try telling that to him. And definitely don't try telling that to the players. You fans might root for tanking for a better draft, but the 53 guys who suit up in those Titans jerseys these last three weeks are going to do everything in their power to win a football game.

Trying hard isn't always enough, of course. We learned that Sunday when the Titans blew a late lead and lost to the Seattle Seahawks 20-17 at Nissan Stadium. They are 5-10 now and have lost seven one-score games. 

And afterward? The players were devastated. The fans? Still trying to figure that out. You wanted to complain about the loss, complain about the coaches, complain about the players. Many of you can't stand the sight of Ryan Tannehill playing quarterback, and you whined about that, too. 

But in the end, it was really a perfect day for the Titans. That was a really fun game, and they kept us wildly entertained for three hours. In the end, they lost, but that's really a good thing. 

Now that a playoff chase is over, the best thing that can happen to this franchise is to lose every single game. Finishing 5-12 and getting the highest draft pick possible is the best option right now.

The very best option.

But only now. 

Let's be very clear about this. I am anti-tanking. I am a huge believer in, as Herm Edwards would say, playing to win the game. The best thing for the Titans would have been to win those two games against the Colts and Texans, where they missed extra points and then lost in overtime. Bad, badf losses. Win those, and you're still playing for something — and you ALWAYS play for something. 

But once you're eliminated, things change. Losing actually benefits the Titans now, in. the draft pecking order, but you can't tell that to the players. They work too hard — every damn day — to ever lose on purpose. And if you ever tried to tell them to do that, to lose on purpose, a punch in the face would soon follow.

But as an organization, you just have to be smart about everything that happens next once you're out. Before Sunday's game, the Titans put the guys with nagging injuries — defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and safety Amani Hooker — all on the injured list. Their seasons are over. 

Good.

Here's another thing, too. I am I am biased, because I've been pro-Will Levis since the Titans grabbed him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but I've seen him play for eight games now, and he is definitely the future of this franchise. He is absolutely someone to build around — and the Titans have a lot of building to do.

Levis has an ankle injury and didn't play Sunday. He did try to practice though, to see if he was good to go.

It's not necessary for him to play anymore this season. Let the ankle heal, and let's have a great offseason with no other physical ailments. Let's have him 100 percent for every workout, every OTA, every training camp practice.

This is Will Levis' team now.

At first, I had a bit of an issue with Ryan Tannehill playing for Levis on Sunday, but I get the logic. Winning the last three games to finish 8-9 would have added some momentum to the offseason, and Tannehill gave them the best chance to win over second-year quarterback Malik Willis. They had a 47 percent chance to win pregame, according to ESPN's analytics, and an 83.1 percent chance when Derrick Henry scored a touchdown with 3:21 remaining.

It could have been a win, and it was a lot of fun — right up until the end when it wasn't. The Seahawks scored in the final minute to go ahead 20-17 — added by a pair of bad penalties on Titans corneback Tre Avey — and then Tannehill got sacked twice on the final drive.

It was his first game in two months, and what fans never understand is how much football means to these guys. Playing on Sundays is fun, and it's what their lives are all about. It's why, as Bill Parcells used to say, they lift all those weights.

So don't tell them you hope they lose. But if they do it on their own, like they did Sunday, it's not all bad. It's Christmas, so be happy and don't whine about the players or coaches. Enjoy your week — and we'll see you next Sunday. 

Same time as usual.

Related Titans-Seahawks stories

• TITANS GAME STORY:  Once again, the Tennessee Titans made all sorts of late mistakes and lost 20-17 in the closing minutes to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. It's the seventh one-score defeat, and their third straight home loss where they've blown a late lead. The Titans are now 5-10 on the year. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: The Tennessee Titans dropped their third straight home game on Sunday, giving up a touchdown to the Seattle Seahawks in the final minute to lose 20-17. Here are the best pictures from the Christmas Eve game. CLICK HERE
• WATCH DK METCALF TD CATCH: The Tennessee Titans gave up the lead for the first time of the game in the fourth quarter when they allowed a go-ahead touchdown pass to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. CLICK HERE
• WATCH ARDEN KEY SACK: The Tennessee Titans came out and got a big play from their defense early against the Seattle Seahawks as edge rusher Arden Key sacked Geno Smith for a big loss. CLICK HERE
• WATCH DERRICK HENRY TD PASS: The Tennessee Titans took an early lead over the Seattle Seahawks as Derrick Henry threw his fourth career touchdown pass. This time, to Chig Okonkwo to give the Titans a 7-0 advantage. CLICK HERE
• WATCH HENRY RUSHING TD: The Tennessee Titans took the lead late in the fourth quarter as Derrick Henry's touchdown run capped off an excellence response from the Titans' offense. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 16 POINT SPREAD: The Tennessee Titans are banged up, and will turn to veteran Ryan Tannehill at quarterback on Sunday against the Seahawks at Nissan Stadium. With all the injuries, the Seahawks are favored to win. CLICK HERE