The Tennessee Titans have the top seed in the AFC, so now what? For a team that used a record number of players this season – the number reached 91 during Sunday’s win in Houston, with three new Titans making their debuts – a little rest and relaxation are in order.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel says there will be some rest, but the Titans aren’t about to relax with their week off.
“The first thing is going to be to use that time to get healthy,” Vrabel says. “We started dropping late in the game, and then try to improve. We were really doing a lot of good things defensively, and this will be a good week. We’ll be able to coach them hard, and they’ll respond to that.”
Vrabel was referring to cornerbacks Kristian Fulton and Elijah Molden, who both exited the game in the fourth quarter with injuries. The Titans will use that extra week off to try and get them healthy and also to continue to prepare for running back Derrick Henry’s return.
Beyond that, Vrabel says the Titans will use the time for coaches to help clean up some of the things that went wrong Sunday, when the Titans nearly allowed a 21-0 halftime lead to slip away.
“They don’t give you a hat or a T-shirt or anything like that (for being the top seed), but we’re in the elite eight. We’ve moved on to the second round of the playoffs without having to play a game,” Vrabel says. “We’ll take advantage of the time. We have to be great as coaches, great as our training staff, and our physical therapy and strength and conditioning.
“It’ll allow these guys to get some time off, but also to heal and get to work.”