58th season in franchise history; first playoff berth since 2008
The 2017 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise 's 48th season in the National Football League and the 58th overall. It also marked the franchise's 21st season in the state of Tennessee as well as the second full season under head coach Mike Mularkey . They equaled their record from a year ago, and not only that, with a 15–10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17, they clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 . In the first round, the Titans rallied from a 21–3 halftime deficit against the Chiefs to win 22–21, winning their first playoff game since 2003 . However, they were defeated by the New England Patriots in the divisional round by the score of 35–14. Despite making the playoffs and winning a playoff game, this would be Mularkey's final year coaching the Titans, as they parted ways after the season ended. This is also the last season where the Titans wore their uniform design since 1999.
Offseason
Organizational changes
On January 4, the Titans fired wide receivers coach Bob Bratkowski and assistant wide receivers coach Jason Tucker .[1] On January 5, general manager Jon Robinson was promoted to executive vice president/general manager.[2]
Roster changes
Reserve/future free agent contracts
The first transactions of the year occurred shortly after the conclusion of the 2016 regular season on January 3, 2017, when the Titans signed offensive lineman Karim Barton, linebacker Kourtnei Brown , tight end Jerome Cunningham , running back David Fluellen , wide receiver Jonathan Krause , offensive tackle Tyler Marz , and wide receiver K.J. Maye to reserve/future contracts.[3]
On January 4, the Titans signed linebacker Reshard Cliett and tight end Tim Semisch to reserve/future contracts.[4]
The Titans signed their final two futures contracts of 2017, in defensive back Tye Smith on January 16 and defensive tackle Caushaud Lyons on January 24.[5] [6]
Free agents
2017 Tennessee Titans Free Agency
Position
Player
Status*
Date signed
2016 Team
2017 Team
RB
Antonio Andrews
UFA
Tennessee Titans
None
OLB
David Bass
UFA
May 9, 2017[7]
Tennessee Titans
Seattle Seahawks
LB/ST
Daren Bates
UFA
March 9, 2017[8]
Oakland Raiders
Tennessee Titans
RT
Byron Bell
UFA
March 24, 2017[9]
Tennessee Titans
Dallas Cowboys
CB
Valentino Blake
UFA
March 20, 2017[10]
Tennessee Titans
New York Giants
QB
Matt Cassel
UFA
March 2, 2017[11]
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
SS
Johnathan Cyprien
UFA
March 9, 2017[12]
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
TE
Anthony Fasano
UFA
March 9, 2017[13]
Tennessee Titans
Miami Dolphins
CB
Demontre Hurst
UFA
April 3, 2017[14]
Chicago Bears
Tennessee Titans
FS
Rashad Johnson
UFA
Tennessee Titans
None
DT
Karl Klug
UFA
March 9, 2017[15]
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
G
Tim Lelito
UFA
March 22, 2017[16]
New Orleans Saints
Tennessee Titans
WR
Marc Mariani
UFA
Tennessee Titans
None
ILB
Nate Palmer
UFA
March 9, 2017[15]
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
CB
Logan Ryan
UFA
March 9, 2017[17]
New England Patriots
Tennessee Titans
C
Brian Schwenke
UFA
March 13, 2017[18]
Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis Colts
ILB
Sean Spence
UFA
March 19, 2017[19]
Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis Colts
SS
Daimion Stafford
UFA
May 30, 2017
Tennessee Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers
TE
Phillip Supernaw
UFA
March 10, 2017[20]
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
S/ST
Brynden Trawick
UFA
March 9, 2017[8]
Oakland Raiders
Tennessee Titans
G
Chance Warmack
UFA
March 9, 2017[21]
Tennessee Titans
Philadelphia Eagles
WR/RS
Eric Weems
UFA
March 10, 2017[22]
Atlanta Falcons
Tennessee Titans
NT
Sylvester Williams
UFA
March 10, 2017[23]
Denver Broncos
Tennessee Titans
WR
Kendall Wright
UFA
March 11, 2017[24]
Tennessee Titans
Chicago Bears
*RFA : Restricted free agent , UFA : Unrestricted free agent , ERFA : Exclusive rights free agent
Legend: = Addition = Departure = Re-signed
Departures
2017 NFL draft
Notes
Staff
2017 Tennessee Titans staff
Front office
Owner – KSA Industries
President, chairman and CEO – Steve Underwood
Executive vice president and general manager – Jon Robinson
Vice president of football administration – Vin Marino
Director of player personnel – Ryan Cowden
Director of college scouting – Jon Salge
Director of pro scouting – Brian Gardner
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
Assistant head coach/strength and conditioning – Steve Watterson
Assistant to the strength and conditioning coach – Tom Kanavy
Strength and conditioning assistant – Taylor Porter
Final roster
2017 Tennessee Titans final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
53 active, 6 inactive, 10 practice squad
Team captains
Preseason
Regular season
Schedule
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week Three: Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
0
7
7 13 27
Titans
0
9
21 3 33
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Week 4: at Houston Texans
Week Four: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Titans
0
14
0 0 14
Texans
14
16
7 20 57
at NRG Stadium , Houston, Texas
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
Phillip Supernaw caught his first career touchdown.
Week 6: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week Six: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Colts
3
10
6 3 22
Titans
6
3
6 21 36
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Rookie Taywan Taylor caught his first career touchdown.
Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
Week Seven: Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 OT Total
Titans
3
3
0 3 3 12
Browns
0
3
3 3 0 9
at FirstEnergy Stadium , Cleveland, Ohio
Date : October 22Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : 74 °F (23 °C), sunnyGame attendance : 59,061Referee : Terry McAulay TV announcers (CBS) : Spero Dedes and Adam ArchuletaRecap , Gamebook
Week 9: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week Nine: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Ravens
3
3
0 14 20
Titans
10
6
0 7 23
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Date : November 5Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : 75 °F (24 °C), cloudyGame attendance : 67,322Referee : John Hussey TV announcers (CBS) : Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Melanie CollinsRecap , Gamebook
Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week Ten: Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Bengals
6
7
0 7 20
Titans
7
10
0 7 24
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 12: at Indianapolis Colts
This was the Titans' first win in Indianapolis since 2007, and their first season sweep of Indy since 2002.
Week 13: vs. Houston Texans
Week Thirteen: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
3
7
0 3 13
Titans
0
10
7 7 24
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals
Week Fourteen: Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Titans
0
7
0 0 7
Cardinals
0
0
6 6 12
at University of Phoenix Stadium , Glendale, Arizona
Date : December 10Game time : 3:05 p.m. CST/2:05 p.m. MST Game weather : Played indoors (retractable roof closed)Game attendance : 64,153Referee : Jerome BogerTV announcers (CBS) : Andrew Catalon and James LoftonRecap , Gamebook
Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
Week Fifteen: Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Titans
0
10
3 10 23
49ers
6
10
0 9 25
at Levi's Stadium , Santa Clara, California
Date : December 17Game time : 3:25 p.m. CST/1:25 p.m. PST Game weather : 65 °F (18 °C), sunnyGame attendance : 70,133Referee : John Parry TV announcers (CBS) : Andrew Catalon and James LoftonRecap , Gamebook
Week 16: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week Sixteen: Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Rams
6
7
7 7 27
Titans
3
10
7 3 23
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week Seventeen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period
1
2
3 4 Total
Jaguars
0
3
0 7 10
Titans
0
12
3 0 15
at Nissan Stadium , Nashville, Tennessee
Date : December 31Game time : 3:25 p.m. CSTGame weather : 23 °F (−5 °C), clearGame attendance : 65,501Referee : Tony Corrente TV announcers (CBS) : Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie ErdahlRecap , Gamebook
With the win, the Titans clinched their first playoff berth since 2008.
Standings
Division
Conference
#
Team
Division
W
L
T
PCT
DIV
CONF
SOS
SOV
STK
Division leaders
1[a]
New England Patriots
East
13
3
0
.813
5–1
10–2
.484
.466
W3
2[a]
Pittsburgh Steelers
North
13
3
0
.813
6–0
10–2
.453
.423
W2
3[b]
Jacksonville Jaguars
South
10
6
0
.625
4–2
9–3
.434
.394
L2
4[b]
Kansas City Chiefs
West
10
6
0
.625
5–1
8–4
.477
.481
W4
Wild Cards
5[c]
Tennessee Titans
South
9
7
0
.563
5–1
8–4
.434
.396
W1
6[c]
Buffalo Bills
East
9
7
0
.563
3–3
7–5
.492
.396
W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c]
Baltimore Ravens
North
9
7
0
.563
3–3
7–5
.441
.299
L1
8[c]
Los Angeles Chargers
West
9
7
0
.563
3–3
6–6
.457
.347
W2
9
Cincinnati Bengals
North
7
9
0
.438
3–3
6–6
.465
.321
W2
10[d]
Oakland Raiders
West
6
10
0
.375
2–4
5–7
.512
.396
L4
11[d]
Miami Dolphins
East
6
10
0
.375
2–4
5–7
.543
.531
L3
12[e]
Denver Broncos
West
5
11
0
.313
2–4
4–8
.492
.413
L2
13[e]
New York Jets
East
5
11
0
.313
2–4
5–7
.520
.438
L4
14[f]
Indianapolis Colts
South
4
12
0
.250
2–4
3–9
.480
.219
W1
15[f]
Houston Texans
South
4
12
0
.250
1–5
3–9
.516
.375
L6
16
Cleveland Browns
North
0
16
0
.000
0–6
0–12
.520
–
L16
Tiebreakers [g]
^ a b New England claimed the No. 1 seed over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory.
^ a b Jacksonville claimed the No. 3 seed over Kansas City based on conference record.
^ a b c d Tennessee finished ahead of Buffalo, Baltimore and Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record, claiming the No. 5 seed. Buffalo and Baltimore finished ahead of Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record. Buffalo claimed the No. 6 seed over Baltimore based on strength of victory.
^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head victory.
^ a b Denver finished ahead of the New York Jets based on head-to-head victory.
^ a b Indianapolis finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head sweep.
^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
Postseason
Game summaries
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Kansas City Chiefs
Despite struggling in the first half of the game and falling behind 21–3, the Titans shut out the Chiefs in the second half and won their first playoff game since 2003. In addition, Marcus Mariota became the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw a touchdown to himself.
AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) New England Patriots
Rookie Corey Davis caught his first career touchdowns. These would not be enough, however, as the top-seeded/defending champion Patriots steamrolled the Titans, 35-14. With the loss, the Titans' season ended, with a record of 10-8. With the Patriots losing to the Eagles three weeks later in Super Bowl LII , the Titans would have the third-longest championship drought of any team in the NFL, going back to 1961 when they were the Houston Oilers.
References
^ Lambert, Terry A. (January 4, 2017). "Titans Part Ways with Receivers Coach Bob Bratkowski and Assistant Receivers Coach Jason Tucker" . Music City Miracles . Retrieved January 11, 2017 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul (January 5, 2017). "Promotion for GM Jon Robinson makes him second-highest-ranking Titans employee" . ESPN.com . Retrieved January 11, 2017 .
^ Cotton, Dan. "Titans sign seven players to futures contracts" . cbssports.com . CBS. Retrieved May 9, 2017 .
^ Wolf, Jason (January 3, 2017). "Titans sign tight end Tim Semisch, linebacker Reshard Cliett" . The Tennessean . Retrieved January 11, 2017 .
^ "Titans sign cornerback Tye Smith to futures contract" . usatoday.com . USA Today. Retrieved May 9, 2017 .
^ Cotton, Dan. "Titans sign DT Caushaud Lyons to a future contract" . cbssports.com . CBS. Retrieved May 9, 2017 .
^ Crabtree, Curtis (May 9, 2017). "David Bass agrees to deal with Seahawks" . profootballtalk.nbcsports.com . NBC Sports. Retrieved May 9, 2017 .
^ a b Alper, Josh (March 9, 2017). "Titans sign Daren Bates, Brynden Trawick" . profootballtalk.nbcsports.com . NBC. Retrieved March 9, 2017 .
^ Wells, Adam. "BYRON BELL AGREES TO 1-YEAR CONTRACT WITH COWBOYS AFTER 2 YEARS WITH TITANS" . bleacherreport.com . Retrieved April 4, 2017 .
^ "Giants' Valentino Blake: Added to Giants defense" . CBS Sports . March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017 .
^ "Titans sign QB Matt Cassel to two-year, $5.25M deal" . NFL. March 2, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul (March 9, 2017). "Titans add physical safety Johnathan Cyprien to help run defense" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2017 .
^ "Dolphins sign TE Anthony Fasano to return to team" . espn.com . ESPN. March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017 .
^ Wyatt, Jim (April 3, 2017). "Titans Agree to Terms with CB Demontre Hurst" . Tennessee Titans .
^ a b Wyatt, Jim (March 9, 2017). "Titans Agree to Terms with Karl Klug, Nate Palmer" . Tennessee Titans . Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Triplett, Mike (March 22, 2017). "Tim Lelito signs with Titans" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2017 .
^ Florio, Mike (March 9, 2017). "Logan Ryan heads to Titans" . profootballtalk.nbcsports.com . NBC. Retrieved March 9, 2017 .
^ Crabtree, Curtis (March 13, 2017). "Colts sign center/guard Brian Schwenke" . ProFootballTalk . NBC. Retrieved March 14, 2017 .
^ Shook, Nick. "Colts agree to one-year deal with LB Sean Spence" . nfl.com . Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ "Titans Agree to Terms with TE Phillip Supernaw" . Tennessee Titans . March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Florio, Mike (March 9, 2017). "One-year, $1.51 million contract for Chance Warmack" . profootballtalk.nbcsports.com . NBC. Retrieved March 9, 2017 .
^ Gantt, Darin (March 10, 2017). "Falcons wideout Eric Weems heading to Tennessee" . profootballtalk.nbcsports.com . NBC. Retrieved March 10, 2017 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul. "Titans add Sylvester Williams to play nose tackle" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2017 .
^ Dickerson, Jeff. "Bears add another weapon in former first-round WR Kendall Wright" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2017 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul (April 13, 2017). "Titans releasing veteran cornerback Jason McCourty" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved April 13, 2017 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul (March 8, 2017). "Titans cutting Al Woods prevents $1.25M guarantee from kicking in" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2017 .
^ Parr, Dan. "Compensatory picks to be tradable beginning in 2017" . nfl.com . NFL. Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Kuharsky, Paul (April 14, 2016). "Rams picking first overall after major trade with Titans" . espn.com . ESPN. Retrieved April 30, 2017 .
^ "2016 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves" . NFL.com . NFL. Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Wolf, Jason. "Titans trade up, draft Western Kentucky WR Taywan Taylor, FIU TE Jonnu Smith" . tennessean.com . The Tennessean. Retrieved April 30, 2017 .
^ a b c "2017 NFL Draft trade tracker: Details of all the moves" . NFL.com . NFL. Retrieved February 1, 2022 .
^ Wyatt, Jim (11 May 2017). "Titans Agree to Terms with 12 Undrafted Free Agents" . Tennessee Titans . Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2022 .
^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Invite 27 Players to Rookie Minicamp on Tryout Basis" . Tennessee Titans . Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017 .
^ Wyatt, Jim (September 4, 2017). "Titans Name Six Captains for 2017, Including Tim Shaw" . TennesseeTitans.com . Retrieved December 3, 2020 .
External links
Founded in 1960
Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
Based and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (11) Conference championships (1) League championships (2) Retired numbers Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation Key personnel