NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A year ago, the Titans stood desperately at 5-5 and… promptly lost at Houston by 20.

Then, from 5-6, in complete desperation, they strung together four consecutive wins to get into a do-or-die game that could have sent them to the playoffs.

This time around, at .500 with six to play, five of them against games with winning records, they’ve got to fare better than they did last year. They think there are lessons to draw on from last season.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The AFC South remains wide open through 10 games. The Texans, Colts, Titans and Jaguars have only, of course, played the teams on their schedule.

There are six games left for each team including six head-to-head AFC South matchups.

But I really don’t feel like anyone is particularly good.

Seek signature wins?

The Colts (6-4) lead the division on a head-to-head win over Houston, and their only other win over a winning team was over Kansas City. The Texans are second and their wins over teams above .500 are Kansas City and Oakland.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Prevailing wisdom says the Titans don’t run Derrick Henry enough.

For an offense that struggles so much, so often, there seems to be an easy formula: Give it to the best player as frequently as possible.

It’s not quite that simple of course.

There are downs that simply don’t allow for it, and the Titans wind up in a great deal of those, particularly in the first half.

And the Titans simply do not run enough plays, something Mike Vrabel’s been talking about more and more frequently and is likely a theme of the coaching staff’s bye week work.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Things change fast in the NFL.

A week ago we were fairly wondering about offensive leadership.

Against the Chiefs, we saw some in action. Derrick Henry continued to come to the forefront, his production forging his leadership.

Ryan Tannehill produced a third fourth-quarter comeback. A couple runs where he rammed into defenders, unafraid of consequences surely scored him points with his teammates and gained him a bigger platform.

Those are the two guys who should be at the top of the list for offensive leadership.

Many spotted a small moment suggesting a rookie receiver’s got some of the moxie for which I’ve been pleading.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special contributor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans were playing short-handed on defense against one of the most prolific scoring teams in the NFL. Being without DT Jurrell Casey, LB Jayon Brown and CB Malcolm Butler was huge going against a passing offense like the Chiefs’.

The Titans have benefited from some of the more unique plays and calls throughout the season and this game just added to that list.

• Rarely does a snapper snap a ball when the holder is not ready on a field goal try (vs. Chiefs).
• Rarely does an entire kicking unit not move on the snap of the ball (vs Chiefs).
• Rarely does a tackle, fumble and TD get brought back because of a blown whistle (vs Buccaneers).
• Rarely do two consecutive game-ending touchdown runs get reversed and taken off the board (vs. Chargers).
• Rarely does every active offensive lineman (seven) play against you during a game (vs. Browns, vs. Jaguars, vs. Chargers. (Since that one happened three times this season maybe it isn’t so rare!)

But it doesn’t matter how it happens, it is just good to have it happen for your benefit.

The Titans have been very good at ignoring the circumstances around them and focusing on the next play.

The ending of the Chargers game was a great example of that, but the Chiefs game showed the ability to keep competing whether it was the go-ahead score or the blocked field goal to end the game.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a signature win that could come to mean something big for the Titans, Ryan Tannehill didn’t have flashy numbers.

But the quarterback made the throws the Titans needed and he showed off his athleticism with four notable runs that kept things going and brought the Titans energy that has too often been missing.

That energy was a theme during the week for Mike Vrabel.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In so many weeks the Titans have just needed a play to get them going, or at least to see if it’d get them going. And they’d go such long stretches without finding one.

Sunday in a great 35-32 win over the Chiefs at Nissan Stadium that came down to the last play, they found a bunch of them and fed off of them. They all keyed a signature win that got them to 5-5.

It’s a game they now must model after their bye week if they are going to get on a roll and make themselves a playoff factor, an idea you made fun of me for mentioning this week but one that remains real, at least for now.

“Everyone is pumped, it’s fun to win a game like that,” Ryan Tannehill said. “Battle back in the fourth quarter at home and find a way to win, it’s a ton of fun. The excitement, it’s why we love playing the game: Competing, finding ways to win, that bond you create in moments like that.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings as we await Sunday of Week 10. 

I hope we get a tremendous LSU-Alabama game on Saturday while we await Sunday football. If we get the result I want, Joe Burrow's stock will rise out of range for where the Titans will end up drafting, if he isn't there already,

On to your fine questions.

What should the punishment be for fans who ask about Mariota to WR??

— Austin Stanley (@AustinStanley81) November 8, 2019