NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- So will the Titans continue their down-up-down-up pattern Sunday in Indianapolis?

Or will they build on five consecutive wins over the Colts in their first AFC South game of the season, relying on Derrick Henry along the way as they have so often in the past?

There are some reasons to be optimistic. While I know people are down on Kyle Philips because of his injury history, he brings short-area quickness the team's been lacking and should be back on the field. Peter Skoronski is also expected back after missing three games. And Nicholas Petit-Frere could pop up as an alternative to Andre Dillard at left tackle if Dillard struggles.

Skoronski is a difference-maker and Philips can be a contributor. So the Titans have that going for them. But they've got to figure out how to slow down Anthony Richardson, who's a difficult runner to handle though he's got a very low completion percentage.

So please head to the private Facebook page for members or the secret YouTube below to rewatch the great conversation we had at the half of Thursday Night Football.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Since 2020 the Titans have been dominant in the AFC South with a 72.2 winning percentage.

Only Kansas City (82.3 percent) and Buffalo (80 percent) are better in their divisions in that span.

The Titans have done a lot right to sustain that dominance against the Colts (5-1), Texans (4-2) and Jaguars (4-2) over that time. But nothing has been more consistent than Derrick Henry's performance. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nobody likes perpetually injured guys. Kyle Philips' career spans 21 games and he's been available for four.

Still, I think you should be excited about his return from the knee injury he suffered during the Titans' preseason game in Minnesota because the Titans offense has been severely lacking in the one department he directly addresses: short-area quickness.

If Philips quickly suffers another injury, we'll have a different conversation. But right now he's about to be available and he can be a solution to a clear problem

That's where we begin this week's edition of The Paul Kuharsky Podcast.

Other topics I address:

💥 Recent divisional and October dominance.

💥 Jack Gibbens has been very good.

💥 Nick Folk as an example of problem-solving.

💥 Is Nicholas Petit-Frere heading to left tackle?

💥 The improved blocking of the tight ends.

The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeart and YouTube, which is below.

The podcast is the front door to PaulKuharsky.com.

And with our new primary sponsor ZenSports, becoming a member is easier than ever. Download their app, sign up using code TNPAUL, make a $10 bet and get a free annual membership to this fine site.

If you're an existing member, sign up for ZenSports using TNPAUL and deposit $250. Once you bet at least $250, you'll be credited with an additional $250. (Be sure to use the same email there that you use here.)

Either way, ZenSports will give you five percent cash back on your first 15 days of betting, and up to three percent monthly after that.

Everybody wins!

Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-889-9789. Terms and Conditions apply. Must be 21+ and in Tennessee to bet.

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

Through four weeks, it’s difficult to feel extremely confident in an overarching opinion about how good the 2023 Tennessee Titans are, especially after the whiplash-inducing back-to-back performances against the Browns and Bengals. One week they look completely helpless, the next week they’re dismantling a team that most view as a Super Bowl contender.

There are a few things that I do feel confident that I know about this team.

1. The run defense is, once again, elite. It was expected coming into the season, but through (almost) a quarter of the season, Tennessee is back atop its perch as the stingiest run defense in the NFL by yards per carry allowed (2.9), a metric they’ve finished no lower than fourth in over the past two seasons.

And this year’s performance has been even more dominant than the past couple of versions. Credit here should go to

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After the Titans’ excellent offensive output in Sunday’s sparkling win over the Bengals, Mike Vrabel was quick to deflect a question about Tim Kelly’s play-calling.

“I think all the credit goes to the players,” Vrabel said. “It does. We make all this up about play-callers. Give them a play and they go execute it. It's up to the players and they did a great job. That's what I'm saying.”

Are some plays better than others? Are they better designed? Do they stand a better chance to work given what a defense is doing?

Sure. And we can tell some of that, particularly when one layers nicely on another or when something might build now on something that unfolded earlier.

But we tend to oversimplify our rating of play-calling, and I try to stay away from it because of that.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans' defensive changes after the Bengals' first drive keyed their 27-3 win in their thorough effort on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

The Bengals' first series of the game was exactly what most people expected with the Titans playing a soft zone, allowing easy completions, big runs and a long, successful scoring drive for Joe Burrow and the offense.

But that was it for the Bengals and Burrow. That opening drive accounted for 34 percent of Cincinnati’s yards for the entire game, their four first downs were the most in any possession and the 5 minutes and 48 seconds was the longest the Bengals held the ball all game. 

From there the Titans’ defense changed its plan and showed itself a tough, physical, and hard-tackling team for the remaining three quarters.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- I talk about the unpredictability of the NFL as its top feature all the time. 

And the Titans looking awful last week and brilliant this week is just the most recent example of that. In Cleveland, they couldn't block people, couldn't move the ball or get Derrick Henry any space and couldn't stop explosive plays.

And at Nissan Stadium they found a balance that allowed them to buy Ryan Tannehill time, they drove for three touchdowns in a row, Henry ran for 122 yards and Joe Burrow and his great trio of receivers couldn't find anything longer than 17 yards.

Which team are they? As I wrote in my game column, it's somewhere in between. But that has to come as a relief because a week ago we weren't sure they were capable of anything like this at all.

Thanks to those who came to discuss it all with the rest of the membership. You're invited to rewatch on the private Facebook page or below at the secret YouTube.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Even from the best teams, NFL seasons include significant variations from best games to worst. The question for a club near the middle is whether it can climb out of the downside often enough, playing to strengths, maximizing contributions and masking flaws.

In flipping a 27-3 loss in Cleveland into a 27-3 win over the Bengals at Nissan Stadium, the Titans did all of that and more, playing at peak levels on all levels.

It was a wow performance, and while 24-point wins aren’t going to be the norm, some of the features from it should be more regular: a rhythm on offense that produced the sort of desirable third-downs they always talk about that made room for 64.3 percent on third and fourth downs and an efficient passing game, a timely defense that severely limited a gimpy Joe Burrow and stopped all but one series before the Bengals got into the red zone and overall sound special teams.

They are 2-2, the same as the other three members of the AFC South as they prepare for a trip to Indianapolis and their first game against a division foe.