'Vrabel Special': Ranking Tennessee Titans' most stunning wins in the Mike Vrabel era
The Mike Vrabel era has included some stunning victories for the Tennessee Titans over the past six seasons.
Monday's Titans win over the Miami Dolphins ranks highly on the list of "Vrabel Specials" Tennessean columnist Gentry Estes called Monday's win the best Vrabel Special of Vrabel's coaching career.
What makes up a Vrabel Special? The Titans almost certainly have to be an underdog against one of the best teams in the NFL. There have to be circumstances that would make the public doubt the Titans' ability to be competitive in the game, much less win it. Simply, a Titans victory that makes you ask "How in the world did the Titans win this game?" can qualify.
The Titans have had a lot of those the past six seasons.
GENTRY ESTES: Tennessee Titans' stunner over Miami Dolphins was best 'Vrabel special' yet
So the Tennessean ranks those Vrabel Special games, with emphasis on the win quality and the circumstances surrounding the victory.
'Vrabel Special': Ranking the Tennessee Titans' most surprising wins in the Mike Vrabel era
1: Titans 28, Ravens 12 (Jan. 11, 2020; AFC Divisional Playoffs)
Spread: Ravens -10
The circumstances: Coming off a win over Tom Brady and the Patriots, the Titans faced an even taller task in the Baltimore Ravens. The No. 1 seed in the AFC was 14-2 and hadn't lost since September. Baltimore averaged 33.2 points per game, and while the Titans were impressive in stopping Brady, they had only 72 passing yards in New England. Could Tennessee score enough points against Baltimore if it had to?
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: Tennessee led 14-6 at halftime after holding Baltimore to field goals, and the start of the second half could not have gone any better for the Titans. The Ravens turned the ball over on downs, and a 66-yard Derrick Henry run keyed another Titans TD. After Lamar Jackson fumbled on the next play from scrimmage, the Titans offense cashed in with a Ryan Tannehill touchdown run.
The underdogs whipped the No. 1 seed and advanced to the AFC Championship game. Lamar Jackson had 508 total yards, but the Ravens scored just 12 points. That stat is Mike Vrabel-era Titans football in a nutshell.
2. Titans 20, Patriots 13 (Jan. 4, 2020; AFC Divisional Playoffs)
Spread: Patriots -4.5
The circumstances: The Patriots lost at home to Miami in Week 17 to lose a first-round bye and had a quick six-day turnaround to face the Titans. Tennessee won in Week 17 to earn the final playoff berth in the AFC, and Henry was playing well. Rumors of Brady's exit from New England were already percolating.
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: A week prior to the Ravens upset, the Titans used a similar formula. New England had 222 total yards at halftime but trailed 14-13 after twice settled for field goals. Brady and the Patriots offense did not score in the second half, and Logan Ryan's interception return for a touchdown put the nail in the coffin of a 20-13 win. A month later, Brady was a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
3. Titans 35, Chiefs 32 (Nov. 10, 2019)
Spread: Chiefs -5
The circumstances: The Titans fell to 4-5 the week prior in a disappointing 30-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers in which the score was flattering to the losing team. Patrick Mahomes was primed to return from a knee injury against the Titans, who were missing Malcolm Butler, Jayon Brown and others on defense. Frankly, the Chiefs were Super Bowl contenders while the Titans were considered middle-of-the-pack.
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: The Chiefs took a 29-20 lead in the fourth quarter after Mahomes' highlight-reel touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. But some weird stuff happened. After a Henry touchdown and a Chiefs field goal, the Titans offense turned the ball over on downs in its own territory with less than two minutes left.
The rest is Titans lore: A bad snap aborted a Chiefs field goal attempt that would have given KC an 8-point lead. Tannehill leads the go-ahead drive with an Adam Humphries touchdown catch. Tannehill runs in the 2-point conversion. The Chiefs get into field goal range in just two plays and Joshua Kalu blocks Harrison Butker's 52-yard field goal attempt at the horn. It's still the inflection point in the Vrabel era.
4. Titans 28, Dolphins 27 (Dec. 11, 2023)
Spread: Dolphins -14
The circumstances: No one would have blamed the Titans if they were in play-out-the-season mode following an overtime loss to the Colts to fall to 4-8. Tennessee was 0-7 in games away from Nissan Stadium heading into a Monday Night Football showdown against the Miami Dolphins, contenders for the AFC's No. 1 seed. Jeffery Simmons, the Titans' best defensive player, was out because of a knee injury.
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: How can a 4-8 team virtually hand the opponent three touchdowns via turnover on the road and still win, especially against a potent offense who has Super Bowl aspirations?
It wasn't looking good with 4:34 left. The Titans separately muffed a punt and fumbled inside their 15-yard line on back-to-back possessions midway through the fourth quarter, leading to Dolphins touchdowns. Earlier in the game, Will Levis threw a pick-6 to Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler on a screen pass while the Titans were backed up near their own end zone.
Trailing 27-13, Levis led back-to-back touchdown drives with a two-point conversion mixed in. After two touchdowns in 51 seconds, the Titans defense forced a turnover on downs with 20 seconds left to seal the upset victory.
We'll see how it ages, but the combination of the wild comeback and the large upset makes it one of the more remarkable Titans regular-season wins ever. It's the first win in the NFL since 2016 for a team trailing by 14 or more points with three minutes remaining in regulation.
5. Titans 20, Texans 17 (Sept. 16, 2018)
Spread: Texans -3.5
The circumstances: Mike Vrabel's debut as Titans coach was a game marred by numerous weather delays and injuries to quarterback Marcus Mariota, tight end Delanie Walker and left tackle Taylor Lewan. Tennessee lost to Miami, and faced an 0-2 record with a loss in Week to Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans. All three key offensive players would be out for the Titans, with Blaine Gabbert replacing Mariota.
Why does it qualify as a Vrabel Special? A Synopsis: Gabbert was one of three Titans players to complete a pass. Kevin Byard completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to Dane Cruikshank on a fake punt early in the game, and Gabbert found Taywan Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown reception as the Titans led 14-0 after one quarter. (What a ridiculous sentence.)
The Texans took a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter, but two Ryan Succop field goals sandwiched a questionable Bill O'Brien decision to punt from the Titans' 37-yard line with 6:50 left. Watson and the Texans offense got the ball back and drove near midfield with 17 seconds left and no timeouts, but Watson inexplicably threw to the middle of the field on a play that lasted 15 seconds to end the game.
After Game No. 2 of the Vrabel era, Titans fans should have known what was to come.
6. Titans 42, Bills 16 (Oct. 13, 2020)
Spread: Bills -3
The circumstances: The Titans dealt with 24 COVID-19 cases in the week leading up to a very important game against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Ten players and two assistants would be out for a game postponed from a Sunday to a Tuesday.
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: The Bills gave the Titans short fields with three turnovers, and the Titans turned each possession into touchdowns. The key turnover came late in the third quarter, with Malcolm Butler intercepting Allen and setting up the Titans on the Buffalo 12-yard line. Four plays later, a Jonnu Smith touchdown catch gave Tennessee a 28-10 lead.
Given the lack of depth because of the COVID-related absences, the Titans could have been forgiven if they struggled against a quality opponent. Instead, they won by 28 against a team that eventually made the AFC Championship Game.
7. Titans 28, Rams 16 (Nov. 7, 2021)
Spread: Rams -7.5
The circumstances: A week after losing Henry to a foot injury, the Titans traveled to the 7-1 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. Could new signing Adrian Peterson mitigate the loss of Henry in the run game?
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: This game was never really close after the Titans scored two touchdowns in 11 seconds on back-to-back plays from scrimmage. Geoff Swaim's touchdown catch was followed by a Byard interception return touchdown early in the second quarter. By halftime, the Titans led 21-3 and cruised.
Peterson, Jeremy McNichols and D'Onta Foreman combined for 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns against an aggressive Rams front seven. The Titans needed the win to eventually clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and it came against the eventual Super Bowl champions without Henry for the first time.
8. Titans 27, Chiefs 3 (Oct. 24, 2021)
Spread: Chiefs -4
The circumstances: Calling back to the 2019 game, the Titans knew it would have to score against Mahomes and the Chiefs. Tennessee's defense was coming off of allowing 400+ yards in two consecutive games. And while the 2019 win legitimized the Titans as a possible contender, a win against the Chiefs six days after beating Buffalo at this point would legitimize the Titans as AFC contenders.
Why it qualifies as a Vrabel Special: Until a loss at Denver earlier this season, this game was the only time the Chiefs offense did not score a touchdown in the Mahomes era. The Titans defense shut down the Chiefs offense, sacking Mahomes four times. The Titans offense scored 27 first-half points, with Henry and Tannehill throwing touchdown passes. A 27-0 halftime lead more than held up, and Chad Henne was in the game as Kansas City's quarterback by the end. KC's three points are still the fewest in a game in the Mahomes era.
A historic beatdown of the best quarterback in this current generation? That qualifies as a Vrabel Special.
Honorable mention
Titans 26, Eagles 23 (Sept. 30, 2018), Titans 34, Patriots 10 (Nov. 11, 2018), Titans 30, Ravens 24 (Nov. 22, 2020), Titans 34, Bills 31 (Oct. 18, 2021), Titans 20, 49ers 17 (Dec. 23, 2021)
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking Tennessee Titans' most surprising wins in the Mike Vrabel era
