| Team: | Tennessee Titans |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Record: | 7–10 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC South |
| Coach: | Mike Vrabel |
| General Manager: | Jon Robinson (fired Dec. 6) Ryan Cowden (interim) |
| Owner: | KSA Industries |
| Stadium: | Nissan Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | RB Derrick Henry DT Jeffery Simmons LS Morgan Cox C Ben Jones |
| Ap All-Pros: | DT Jeffery Simmons (2nd team) P Ryan Stonehouse (2nd team) |
| Shortnavlink: | Titans seasons |
The 2022 season was the Tennessee Titans' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 63rd overall, their 26th in the state of Tennessee and their fifth under head coach Mike Vrabel.
After racing out to a 7–3 start, the Titans suffered a late-season collapse. They ended the season on a brutal seven-game losing streak, their worst losing streak since 2014. The Titans failed to improve on their 12–5 record from last season. They also suffered their first losing season since 2015 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018 after a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (who beat Tennessee twice after being 4-8 at one point) in the final week of the season.[1] It was the fourth time in franchise history they missed the playoffs after having a first-round bye in the playoffs the previous season (1994, 2001, and 2009).
Inconsistent play and a number of key injuries hindered the Titans throughout the season, including starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill who missed five games, Taylor Lewan who missed 15 games, and Harold Landry who missed the entire season. The Titans finished the season with a league-high 23 players on injured reserve.[2]
See main article: 2022 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | from New Orleans via Philadelphia | |||||
| 26 | Traded to the New York Jets | |||||
| 2 | 35 | from NY Jets | ||||
| 58 | Traded to Atlanta | |||||
| 3 | 69 | from NY Jets | ||||
| 86 | from Las Vegas | |||||
| 90 | Traded to Las Vegas | |||||
| 101 | Traded to the New York Jets | 2020 Resolution JC-2A selection; from New Orleans via Philadelphia | ||||
| 4 | 131 | |||||
| 143 | Compensatory pick | |||||
| 5 | 163 | from Pittsburgh via NY Jets | ||||
| 169 | Traded to Las Vegas | |||||
| 6 | 204 | |||||
| 219 | Compensatory pick | |||||
| 7 | 247 | Traded to Miami | ||||
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Anenih | OLB | Houston | [3] |
| Tre Avery | CB | Rutgers | |
| Julius Chestnut | RB | Sacred Heart | |
| Haskell Garrett | DE | Ohio State | |
| Kenneth George Jr. | CB | Tennessee | [4] |
| Jack Gibbens | ILB | Minnesota | |
| Michael Griffin II | S | South Dakota State | |
| Hayden Howerton | G | SMU | |
| Brandon Lewis | WR | Air Force | |
| Jalen McKenzie | OT | USC | |
| Xavier Newman-Johnson | C, G | Baylor | |
| Sam Okuayinonu | DE | Maryland | |
| Jayden Peevy | DE | Texas A&M | |
| Reggie Roberson | WR | SMU | |
| Andrew Rupcich | OT | Culver–Stockton | |
| Caleb Shudak | K | Iowa | |
| Ryan Stonehouse | P | Colorado State | |
| Tre Swilling | CB | Georgia Tech | |
| Thomas Odukoya | TE | Eastern Michigan (IPPP) |
| Made regular season roster |
Source:[5]
The Titans' preseason opponents and schedule were announced in the spring.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 10–23 | 0–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 13–3 | 1–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | W 26–23 | 2–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
On May 9, the NFL announced that the Titans would play at the Buffalo Bills at 6:15 p.m. CDT on, as part of ESPN's Week 2 Monday Night doubleheader.[6]
The remainder of the Titans' 2022 schedule, with exact dates and times, was announced on May 12.
The Titans blew a 13–0 lead and lost to the Giants, 21–20, on a one-yard pass from Daniel Jones to Saquon Barkley. With the upset loss, the Titans started the season 0–1.
The Titans flew to Orchard Park for their matchup against the Bills as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader. The Bills took the opening kickoff and stormed down the field with a methodical 12-play touchdown drive to grab an early 7–0 lead. The Titans responded with a 9-play drive capped off by star running back Derrick Henry's 2-yard touchdown run. From that point on, however, it was all Bills. It started when kicker Tyler Bass converted a 49-yard field goal to go up by 3. Josh Allen then hit Stefon Diggs for the first of three touchdowns on the night for him; a sack by the Bills' defense capped off the first half, with Buffalo holding a 17–7 lead.
In the third quarter, the Bills blew the game open after Allen hit Diggs for the second of three touchdowns for the pair on the night; the Titans were quickly forced into a punt which Bass converted into his second field goal. Following the score, Tannehill was picked off at the Bills' 49-yard line. The offense capitalized on the turnover and exploited the already-exhausted Titan defense for Diggs's third touchdown catch of the night. On the Titans' next drive, Tannehill was again picked off, the interception this time going back for six courtesy of Matt Milano. By this point, the Bills had scored 24 points in the third quarter to grab a commanding 41–7 lead. Both teams' defenses took over for the rest of the game, but by this point, the game had long been decided.
With the loss, the Titans fell to 0–2.
The game was delayed an hour due to power outages in Nashville. With a kickoff temperature of 20F, this was the coldest game ever played at Nissan Stadium.[7] The Titans were upset by the Texans, who had only one win entering this game. They lost their fifth straight, dropped below .500 for the first time since Week 3, and fell out of first place in the AFC South lead, as they lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to Jacksonville.