Titans midseason superlatives: MVP, biggest disappointment, best living embodiment of a roller coaster ride

The Titans crammed far more storylines, drama, highs and lows into the first half of their 2020 season than anyone could have reasonably expected. And there’s still eight games left for them to play in the regular season.

But ahead of Titans-Colts on “Thursday Night Football” at Nissan Stadium, now is an appropriate time to glance back at a chaotic couple of months.

Here are our Titans midseason superlatives.

Offensive MVP: Derrick Henry

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill certainly has a case to be made here, too, but Henry’s ability to take over games is something irreplaceable.

Henry is second in the NFL with 843 rushing yards and third with eight rushing touchdowns. 

Defensive MVP: Jeffery Simmons

Simmons has taken a substantial step forward in his second season, emerging as the star on an otherwise struggling defense. He’s one of only three NFL defensive linemen this season with at least two sacks, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

In Week 9, Simmons was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Bears.

Best way to essentially light $9.5 million on fire: Vic Beasley

Beasley was signed in March to help a Titans pass rush that desperately needed a boost. The deal was for one year and a fully guaranteed $9.5 million.

It ended in spectacular failure.

It also started that way. Beasley was 10 days late in reporting to training camp for what general manager Jon Robinson called an unexcused absence. Then Beasley failed a physical and was placed on the non-football injury list.

More:Titans GM Jon Robinson on release of Vic Beasley: ‘The blame falls on me’

He finally made his debut in Week 3 and went on to play in five games, totaling all of three tackles and zero sacks before Tennessee decided it had seen enough. Beasley was released in early November.

Best 2020 acquisition: Ty Sambrailo

The answer here could change by season’s end. The Titans traded for cornerback Desmond King on Nov. 2, and the (very) early returns have looked promising.

For now, though, Sambrailo comfortably takes this category thanks to his consistent play in a role that quickly became an important one.

Sambrailo, signed to a one-year deal during the offseason, fared well as the team’s No. 3 tackle early in the season, filling in on occasion when there was a mid-game injury. But left tackle Taylor Lewan’s ACL tear forced Sambrailo into a starting role in late October. He’s been a reliable placeholder ever since then.

Biggest storyline: the COVID-19 outbreak

Finally, the Titans were the talk of the NFL – the talk of the sports world, in fact. But not for the reason they would have hoped.

Tennessee in late September was struck by a COVID-19 outbreak, the first to hit an NFL team. It began with a couple of positive coronavirus tests and ballooned into 24 – 13 players and 11 team personnel – by mid-October.

The Titans had their games against the Steelers and Bills postponed to later dates.

In the end, the NFL and NFLPA handed down no major punishments at the conclusion of their weeks-long investigation into whether the Titans’ violated COVID-19 protocols, though they did impose a $350,000 fine.

Best win: Bills in Week 5

The deck was fully stacked against the Titans on Oct. 13. The roster was limited, with several players still on the COVID-19/reserve list. They had limited practice together in the lead-up to the game. And their opponent Tuesday was their strongest of the season to that point.

No matter. In spite of all of that, the Titans were opportunistic in their dismantling of the Bills, using a well-rounded effort to stifle Buffalo 42-16.

Best gesture: Game balls for everyone after Bills win

Everyone on the team received a game ball after the Titans’ win over the Bills. It was the perfect capper after a tumultuous, emotional and often frightening few weeks that took a toll on the whole organization.

Biggest draft disappointment: Isaiah Wilson

There have been only two 2020 first-round picks not to play a snap this season. One is the third-string quarterback behind Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, and the other has been an ongoing disappointment in Nashville.

Wilson’s first few months with the Titans have included an arrest on a DUI charge in September, two separate stints on the COVID-19/reserve list and zero impact on game day.

Wilson, an offensive lineman out of Georgia who went 29th overall, appears like he’s closer to being activated for a game, but that doesn’t change that he’s been a major disappointment to this point.

Best living embodiment of a roller coaster ride: Stephen Gostkowski

It began with three straight misses on field goals. It continued with nine straight makes, including three game-winners. But since then, Gostkowski has continued to be up and down in his first season with the Titans, including one big miss: a 45-yarder that would have sent the Titans’ Week 7 game against the Steelers to overtime.

Gostkowski is 11-for-18 on field goals this season, his seven misses a league high.

Most important stat: Turnover margin

The Titans head into their Week 10 game with a plus-10 turnover margin, best in the NFL.

For as shaky as the Titans' defense has been over the course of the first half, timely turnovers have helped mask some shortcomings elsewhere.

Most damning stat: Third-down defense

There were two worthy options here.

One is Gostkowski’s field-goal percentage, which comes on the heels of the Titans’ league-worst 8-for-18 showing on field goals in 2019. But the real Achilles heel of this team has been its third-down defense.

Even after a bounce-back effort against Sunday in which they held the Bears to 2-for-15 on third down, the Titans still rank last in the NFL by allowing opponents to convert 55.4% of the time.

Continued improvement here will be crucial for the Titans down the stretch.

Best play: Derrick Henry's 94-yarder

Henry took a handoff and broke a tackle to escape into the secondary. No surprise there. But what’s never not surprising is the breakaway speed that the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back possesses. He flashed it on a 94-yard touchdown run in the Titans’ Week 6 win over the Houston Texans.

Worst play: Joe Burrow eludes Titans defense

In Week 8, the Titans had four chances to bring down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on one play. Outside linebacker Harold Landry had two opportunities, and cornerback Chris Jackson and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney each got a hand on Burrow.

Alas, the No. 1 overall pick got away, eventually escaping for a 6-yard gain.

It was that kind of day for the Titans in their loss the Cincinnati. It’s been that kind of season, really.

Three sacks last week against the Bears helped lift them from the basement. Now with 10 sacks on the season, the Titans defense ranks only fourth-worst in the category.

Best marketing move

There were a few choices here, too.

The “Tennessee Tough” slogan the Titans are rolling with this year feels perfectly applicable given the adversities the team has faced. The mural in downtown Nashville that proudly displays the slogan is an artistic achievement.

But for a few lucky fans, one marketing decision tops them all.

Nissan Stadium remained closed to fans through September – except for seven who managed to get in for the Titans’ game against the Jaguars on Sept. 21, that is. The team got special approval to allow a few fans into Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

It made for an experience each will never forget.

Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach.