| Team: | Tennessee Titans |
| Year: | 2011 |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC South |
| Coach: | Mike Munchak |
| General Manager: | Mike Reinfeldt |
| Owner: | Bud Adams |
| Stadium: | LP Field |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Titans seasons |
The Tennessee Titans season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 52nd overall and the 15th in the state of Tennessee. It also marked the first season under head coach Mike Munchak, replacing longtime head coach Jeff Fisher, who resigned on January 27 after 17 seasons. The team improved on their 6–10 record from 2010 and finished tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the last playoff spot, but lost the tiebreaker due to their 24–17 loss to the Bengals in Week 9, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
See main article: 2011 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Washington | |||
| 2 | 39 | UCLA | |||
| 3 | 77 | USC | |||
| 4 | 109 | LB | Miami (FL) | ||
| 5 | 142 | Iowa | |||
| 6 | 175 | Louisville | |||
| 7 | 212 | DT | Auburn |
The Titans' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 13 | Minnesota Vikings | W 14–3 | 1–0 | LP Field | Recap | |
| 2 | August 20 | at St. Louis Rams | L 16–17 | 1–1 | Edward Jones Dome | Recap | |
| 3 | August 27 | Chicago Bears | W 14–13 | 2–1 | LP Field | Recap | |
| 4 | September 1 | at New Orleans Saints | W 32–9 | 3–1 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 14–16 | 0–1 | EverBank Field | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 18 | Baltimore Ravens | W 26–13 | 1–1 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 3 | September 25 | Denver Broncos | W 17–14 | 2–1 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 2 | at Cleveland Browns | W 31–13 | 3–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 9 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 17–38 | 3–2 | Heinz Field | Recap | ||
| 6 | Bye | |||||||
| 7 | October 23 | Houston Texans | L 7–41 | 3–3 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 8 | October 30 | Indianapolis Colts | W 27–10 | 4–3 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–24 | 4–4 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 13 | at Carolina Panthers | W 30–3 | 5–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–23 | 5–5 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
| 12 | November 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–17 | 6–5 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 13 | December 4 | at Buffalo Bills | W 23–17 | 7–5 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 11 | New Orleans Saints | L 17–22 | 7–6 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 15 | December 18 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 13–27 | 7–7 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 23–17 | 8–7 | LP Field | Recap | ||
| 17 | January 1 | at Houston Texans | W 23–22 | 9–7 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | ||
Coming off their road win over the Browns, the Titans flew to Heinz Field for a Week 5 intraconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tennessee threw the game's opening punch in the first quarter with a 29-yard field goal from kicker Rob Bironas, but the Steelers answered with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. Pittsburgh added onto their lead in the second with Roethlisberger completing a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward and a 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback David Johnson.
The Steelers continued their dominating performance in the third quarter with Roethlisberger completing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ward. The Titans would respond with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Chris Johnson, yet Pittsburgh came right back in the fourth quarter with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 19-yard field goal. Tennessee tried to rally as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck found wide receiver Damian Williams on a 19-yard touchdown pass, but the Steelers closed out the game with Roethlisberger completing a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace.
With the loss, the Titans fell to 3–2.
With the win the Titans improved to 8–7. In order to secure a playoff spot the Tennessee Titans need a win at Houston in Week 17, combined with a Bengals loss, a Broncos win, and Raiders win. If either Cincinnati wins against Baltimore or Denver loses against Kansas City, the Titans will be eliminated from postseason contention.
With the win, the Titans finished the season 9–7 and would secure their first winning season since 2008. However, they were eliminated from postseason contention due to the Denver Broncos losing against the Kansas City Chiefs 7–3.