With The First Pick
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Super Bowl LV: Ranking the top 5 NFL AFC contenders

By Nicholas McGee

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

4. Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill and the Titans were the team that brought Brady’s time in New England to an end with a stunning NFL Wild Card victory on the road. After their run to the AFC Championship game last year, the question is whether Tannehill can continue to ascend and whether the Titans’ running game can match the production of 2019.

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Logic dictates that regression is coming for both in 2020. Tannehill finished 2019 ranked fifth in the defense-adjusted value over average by Football Outsiders. However, he leaned on a ground attack that saw Derrick Henry run the ball 303 times in the regular season.

That kind of workload is not sustainable, meaning the burden on Tannehill is likely to be increased.

It is debatable at best whether Tannehill, 32nd in DVOA in his final year with the Dolphins in 2018, can deliver the same results when tasked with throwing more.

While the offense may take a step back, the defense is well-positioned to pick up the slack. The Titans are set to have Jeffery Simmons for a full season after his extremely encouraging play down the stretch last year and picked up one of the steals of the 2020 draft in second-rounder Kristian Fulton, who should compete to start day one.

Replicating their 2019 heroics will be exceedingly difficult but, in a division where last season’s AFC South champions the Houston Texans made themselves worse, the Titans have the players to position themselves for another run.

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