3 Stats That Prove the Titans Are Legitimate Super Bowl Contenders

The Tennessee Titans entered the NFL Playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the AFC. However, after knocking off the reigning Super Bowl champions, it could be time to take the Titans a bit more seriously.

As one of the hottest teams down the stretch of the season, the Titans have now positioned themselves as legitimate contenders to win the Super Bowl, and these are three stats that show why.

1. Elite Red Zone Scoring Percentage

Ryan Tannehill completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the regular season. / Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

The Titans are having an incredible amount of success in the red zone this season. They have scored touchdowns on an NFL-best 76.6 percent of their red zone trips, and over their past three games, they have scored a touchdown every single time they were in the red zone. Ryan Tannehill has played a big part of this, ranking second in the NFL in red zone completion percentage (min. 10 attempts) at 69.2 percent, behind only Drew Brees. Capitalizing on scoring opportunities is crucial, and that has played a huge part in the Titans' success.

2. Best Second-Half Scoring Team

Rookie A.J. Brown led the Titans with 1,054 receiving yards this season. / Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

As the saying goes, it doesn't matter how you start a game; it's how you finish. And the Titans finish strong, averaging a league-high 15.4 second-half points per game this season. As a big, physical team, wearing down opponents as the game progresses helps them really pick up steam toward the end of contests.

3. Derrick Henry is Running Wild

Derrick Henry totaled 204 yards in the Wild Card round. / Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

The previous two stats both stem from the fact that Derrick Henry, this season's rushing leader, has been nearly unstoppable down the stretch this season. The Titans continue to feed the 247-pound monster RB, and he turned a league-high 303 carries into a league-high 1,540 yards while tying for the most rushing touchdowns (16) in the regular season. He has topped 100 rushing yards in six of his past seven games, averaging 154 rushing yards per game over that stretch. Whether it's been finishing drives with TD runs or wearing opponents out in the second halves of games, Henry's bruising style has carried the Titans into their AFC Divisional Round matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.

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