While Super Bowl Is Unlikely, The Titans Could Find Themselves In No Man's Land

The odds and likelihood that the Tennessee Titans can get to, or win the Super Bowl are slim, so what's the best outcome possible this season?

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE  - AllTitans.com's Tyler Rowland shared a story on Thursday where the Tennessee Titans are projected to win 8.56 games according to a simulation from Pro Football Focus. That projection comes because the betting odds on the Titans projected win total was set at 7.5 wins this season, set by the betting site Fan Duel. 

Based on those figures and the unlikely possibility that this team can reach, much less win, a Super Bowl this season means that the ceiling for this team in 2023 is eight to nine wins. 

While either of those numbers would be decent, they are likely not good enough to get this team a division title or a playoff berth. That means this team was good enough to stay out of the top-five draft picks in next season's draft but not good enough to be a legitimate championship contender. 

In short, every Titans fan's nightmare scenario appears set up to play out. 

No one wants another losing season, especially the Titans organization, and it's clear the path that general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel appear to be plotting for this restructuring of the Titans roster. Still, this team seems set to end up in the no man's land between average and terrible.   

While the Titans could get lucky and find themselves in a position to be able to move up in next season's draft for a top-tier talent, the fact is, there's not enough draft capital on hand to make such a move unless Carthon is willing to spend future picks from a movie up. That means that the Titans will also be stuck in the draft, where they could miss the top talent and find themselves choosing from a good but not great talent pool. 

So, would the Titans be better served to be as bad as some suggest and win only two or three games? 

While that is a debatable question, the answer could well be yes. If the Titans fall short of the 7.5 betting point and win just two or three games, they could select a potential game-changing player or even trade back to obtain more draft capital.  

Also, considering the amount of cash the Titans are projected to have under the salary cap in 2024, their ability to improve this roster in free agency and the draft could take this team back to the upper levels of the league in short order. 

But, considering where the team is now, that rebuild could be slowed somewhat unless the Titans can strike it rich in the free-agent market next season.

It's not an enviable position, but it's what this franchise and its fans have to look forward to this season. 

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