KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ryan Tannehill, whose remarkable season since taking over as the Titans’ starter has helped propel the Titans to the AFC title game, is the winner of two Pro Football Writers of America awards: Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.
The awards were voted on for regular-season work.
I voted for Tannehill as most improved. But he threw for 1,979 yards in 2018 for Miami with 17 touchdowns and a 92.7 passer rating. That didn’t seem like something to come back from to me. (My ballot.)
The Titans acquired Tannehill in a spring trade from Miami, getting a much better backup for Marcus Mariota a season after they lost their finale with Blaine Gabbert playing against the Colts. [Unlocked]
A win in that game would have sent the Titans into the postseason, but the team had little chance without its starter.
In 2019, the Titans were looking for a final verdict on Mariota, who played very poorly through six games and got benched. The 2-4 team was sparked back to life with Tannehill in the leading role.
He became just the third quarterback in NFL history to post a completion percentage over 70 and a yards per attempt over 9, joining Joe Montana and Sammy Baugh.
A decisive thrower, Tannehill has thrived in play-action situations. He led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating and 9.6 yards per attempt.
With six games with a passer rating of 130 or higher, he tied Russel Wilson (2019), Tony Romo (2014) and Aaron Rodgers (2011) for the most in a season since 1960. Four of those games came consecutively, against the Chiefs, the Jaguars, at the Colts and at the Raiders.
He also had the highest passer rating for a veteran in his first season with a new team, eclipsing Brett Favre’s 107.2 with the Jets in 2009.
Titans’ Tannehill on his two PFWA awards: pic.twitter.com/PKqQdG2pPw
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) January 17, 2020
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