Tennessee
Titans Drop in Latest Power Rankings
The Tennessee Titans are on a losing streak after falling 23-13 to the Minnesota Vikings in the team’s Week 11 matchup.
The loss puts the Titans at 2-8 on the year, meaning the team must win out in order to avoid a losing season. The Titans are tied for the fewest amount of wins in the league, putting them in position to potentially acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr also views the Titans as one of the NFL’s worst teams, placing them at No. 30 in his latest power rankings, one spot lower than the previous week.
“Will Levis was hurried on half of his snaps on Sunday. I don’t think we’re under any illusion that he’s the long-term answer and certainly he’s earned a place of deep suspicion among the fanbase, but there are some games where he plays at least halfway decent — Levis bested Rodgers for a barely-positive EPA per dropback rating Sunday — yet it feels like the Titans don’t have a shot,” Orr writes.
The only teams that rank below the Titans in the power rankings are the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, who also lost by multiple scores in Week 11 action.
The Titans have struggled with offensive line play all year long, so it’s no surprise that it led to another loss against the Vikings. The Titans will have to get better in that department, along with several others, if they want to move up in the power rankings and grab a few more wins in the final third of the season.
The Titans are back in action on Sunday as they travel to the Lone Star State to face off against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Week 12.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Jaylen Carey’s frame garners a lot of attention for Tennessee basketball.
As the Vols (16-6, 6-3 SEC) throttled Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6) by a score of 84-66 at Food City Center on Feb. 4, Carey used his size to protect his teammates.
In the first half, freshman Nate Ament crashed to the ground after a defender aggressively bodied him up. Referees kept the call at a common foul, but in the second half, Ole Miss player James Scott received a flagrant after swiping at Bishop Boswell’s face.
On both occasions, the 6-foot-8, 267-pound Carey found himself in the middle of a scrum against a group of Ole Miss defenders.
“Yeah man, that’s our bodyguard, that’s our team bodyguard right there,” Ament said. “He likes to get in fights and stuff like that. I’m just joking, but he’s our enforcer. Knowing that someone like that is having my back, it’s incredible. He broke my wrist in the summer when I tried to dunk on him, but that’s a whole different story.”
Carey shared a double technical foul with Scott after the second skirmish. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes wasn’t so keen on Carey’s activities.
“I don’t mind it, but I don’t want him to get technical fouls, especially when we’re short a post player,” Barnes said. “I know his teammates respect him for it. It happened so quickly. I think our guys appreciate it. I just don’t want it to get us at the wrong time when we are really playing with three of our starting five post players.”
Tennessee basketball center Felix Okpara making ‘progress’
The Vols won another game without starting center Felix Okpara. He missed his second straight contest with a left calf injury. Tennessee would have been even thinner in the frontcourt if Carey was ejected.
There’s no return timetable for Okpara, but Barnes sounded optimistic after talking to director of men’s basketball sports medicine Chad Newman.
“Chad told me today (Okpara) was feeling better today,” Barnes said. “I said, ‘How’s he feeling?’ He said he thought he made progress today. I can’t tell you when because that’s the honest answer. He told me that right before the game. He said he had a good day.”
The Vols’ big men weren’t as productive against Ole Miss as they were against Auburn. Redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Freshman DeWayne Brown II, who replaced Okpara in the starting lineup, had five points, three rebounds and an assist. Carey, nearly ejected with four fouls, had four points, five rebounds and an assist.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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SWEETWATER, Tenn. — Two state lawmakers from our viewing area have introduced legislation they hope will benefit hunters in Tennessee.
The bill stems from a case out of Sweetwater that is currently headed to a court of appeals in East Tennessee.
Six hunters were cited in Sweetwater’s municipal court for discharging firearms inside city limits.
This is the property in the Sweetwater, Tenn. city limits involved in the court case expected to soon be under appeal by the East Tennessee Court of Appeals. Two Tennessee legislators have filed bills to clarify the law called into question by this case. (Photo courtesy Matthew Brown)
These hunters say they were hunting on private property.
New legislation would prevent cities, counties, or other small governments from regulating the harvest of game animals and the discharge of a firearm while lawfully hunting.
Tennessee State Representative Mark Cochran (R, District 23) says…
“We want to make sure that it’s very clear that when it comes to hunting, the state regulates that.”
Rep. Cochran says the new bill he’s sponsoring will create more transparency about who has the final say about hunting laws.
FILE – Kenn Jones, from Indiana, spends most of his time in South Dakota pursuing trophy bucks with his bow and arrow. But he took off one morning to accompany Simms on a duck hunt and be his “retriever.” (Photo: Richard Simms)
In 2013, the Tennessee Attorney General wrote an opinion saying that local authorities cannot prohibit activities approved d by the state… like the use of a firearm.
“So this law is really just clarifying that when it comes to actually governing hunting, regulating hunting that that is done by the state, by TWRA, not not by local governments,” Rep. Cochran says.
The Sweetwater case that inspired this new bill cited a city law for using a fire arm in city limits.
NewsChannel 9’s Outdoor Contributor Richard Simms says…
“In this particular case, in Sweetwater, Tennessee, the authorities felt that these hunters had overstepped the bounds, and they cited them.”
The City of Sweetwater told us that they cited the hunters because they were hunting not far from a local school and neighborhood.
But Simms says this isn’t just a Southeast Tennessee issue.
The Woodstock Bayou Hunting Club openly advertises that is located inside the Memphis city limits in hopes of attracting members. (Screen grab via outdoorproperties.com)
“You know, we mentioned that there’s hunting clubs in Memphis that specifically say, ‘hey, we’re inside the city limits.’”
Matthew Rogers is representing one of the hunters in the case. Even though it won’t affect his client, he says it’s a step in the right direction.
“We think the State law trumps the city ordinance, and we’re proud that our local legislators are moving forward with this new bill to either make a new law or to bring clarity to what we’re already arguing.”
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We reached out to the TWRA regarding this new bill. They told us they look forward to working with the General Assembly on any legislation that effects hunters.
Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel reaching Super Bowl 60 made big news as soon as Vrabel’s new team, the New England Patriots, earned a berth against the Seattle Seahawks.
Just two years after being fired by the Titans, Vrabel has the Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl, which will be played on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Vrabel is not the only person with Tennessee ties who will participate in the Super Bowl. He will be joined by many other former Titans players, coaches, and front-office officials.
Other Tennessee ties in the Super Bowl include college players and coaches from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, and Memphis, as well as other colleges and high schools in the state.
Here’s a detailed list of some of the state’s connections for Super Bowl 60 (5:30 p.m. CT, NBC):
New England Patriots
Julian Ashby, long snapper (Vanderbilt): Ashby has played in every game this season. He had one tackle in the conference championship win over the Broncos, giving him three on the season.
Scott Booker, safeties coach (Titans): After serving as a defensive assistant in his first two years (2018-19) with the Titans, Booker was promoted to safeties coach for his final four years (2020-23).
Thomas Brown, tight ends coach/passing game coordinator (Chattanooga): Brown was the running backs coach at Chattanooga in 2012.
Tony Dews, RBs coach (Titans): Dews was the running backs coach at Tennessee from 2018-22 and then the tight ends coach in 2023.
Joshua Dobbs, quarterback (Tennessee Vols, Titans): Dobbs played for the Tennessee Vols (2013-16) and the Titans (2022). In his ninth NFL season, he has played in four games, completing 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards.
Todd Downing, wide receivers coach (Titans): After spending four seasons as the Titans’ tight ends coach (2019-20), Downing was promoted to offensive coordinator (2021-22).
Jack Gibbens, linebacker (Titans): As the Patriots’ third-leading tackler, Gibbens has 96 total stops, a sack, and eight tackles for loss.
Antonio Gibson, running back (Memphis): Gibson suffered a season-ending injury in October. He rushed for 106 yards and scored a TD prior to the injury.
Justin Hamilton, cornerbacks coach (Titans): Hamilton began his NFL career as a defensive quality control coach with the Titans in 2023.
Darius Harris, linebacker (MTSU): Harris, who has played in three Super Bowls, signed with the practice squad in September. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 18 with an undisclosed injury.
Austin Hooper, tight end (Titans): Hooper has played in all but one game and has 22 catches for 277 yards and two TDs.
Jason Houghtaling, assistant OL coach (Titans): Houghtaling landed his first NFL job with the Titans as assistant offensive line coach in 2021 and was promoted to offensive line coach in 2023.
Zak Kuhr, inside linebackers coach (Titans): Kuhr was promoted from defensive quality control coach at Tennessee in 2020 to the inside linebackers coach role.
Harold Landry III, linebacker (Titans): Landry leads the Patriots in sacks with 8.5 and has 49 tackles. He has 10 total tackles for loss.
Riley Larkin, offensive assistant (MTSU): Larkin spent the 2022 season on MTSU coach Rick Stockstill’s staff. He was also on the coaching staff at Ravenwood High (2019-20).
Doug Marrone, offensive line coach (Tennessee Vols): Marrone was the tight ends and offensive line coach at UT in 2001. His wife, Helen, is the daughter of former MTSU coach and athletic director Boots Donnelly.
Clint McMillan, defensive line coach (Titans): After spending four seasons in various defensive roles with the Titans, McMillan joined the Patriots staff in 2025.
Milton Patterson, defensive assistant (Titans): Patterson completed a coaching internship with the Tennessee Titans (2023) as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.
Kobee Minor, defensive back (Memphis): Minor has played in four games and recorded one tackle.
Robert Spillane, linebacker (Titans): Spillane is the Patriots’ leading tackler with 111. He has four tackles for loss and two interceptions.
John Streicher, VP of football operations/strategy (Titans): Streicher spent six seasons (2018-23) with the Titans in various roles on Vrabel’s staff.
Darrell Taylor, defensive end (Tennessee Vols): After playing for the Seahawks (2020-23), Chicago Bears (2024), and Houston Texans (2025), Taylor joined the Patriots practice squad earlier this month.
Terrell Williams, defensive coordinator (Titans): Williams spent six seasons with the Titans as a defensive assistant before leaving for a position with the Detroit Lions in 2024. He took a leave as the Patriots DC after being diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this season.
Tom Quinn, assistant special teams coach (Titans): Quinn arrived as the Titans’ assistant special teams coach in 2023 and became the special teams coordinator after Craig Aukerman was fired.
Mike Vrabel, coach (Titans): In his first season as New England’s coach, Vrabel, who spent six seasons with the Titans, has led the Patriots to a 17-3 record, including a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game.
Seattle Seahawks
Rob Caprice, defensive intern (Tennessee Vols): After spending three seasons as a defensive assistant at UT, Caprice joined the Seahawks staff in 2024.
Quandre Diggs, safety (Titans): Diggs spent five seasons with the Seahawks and then two with the Titans before returning to Seattle in November. He is currently on the practice squad.
Devin Fitzsimmons, defensive assistant (Vanderbilt): Fitzsimmons was the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Vanderbilt (2019-20) on coach Derek Mason’s staff.
Velus Jones Jr., running back (Tennessee Vols): After playing in three regular-season games, Jones was elevated from the practice squad for the divisional round win over San Francisco. He has 42 yards on 10 carries this season.
Frisman Jackson, wide receivers coach (Titans): Jackson spent the 2017 season as the Titans’ wide receivers coach on Mike Mularkey’s staff.
Quinshon Odom, offensive assistant (Vanderbilt): Odom, who also serves as the quality control offensive line coach, was an offensive graduate assistant at Vanderbilt (2016-17) and then offensive quality control coach (2019-20).
Justin Outten, run game specialist/assistant offensive line (Titans): Otten was hired by the Seahawks on Feb. 18, 2025, after spending the last two seasons as the Titans’ running backs coach.
Kenneth Walker III, running back (Arlington High School): A second-round pick by the Seahawks in 2022, Walker is the team’s leading rusher with 1,205 yards and nine TDs.
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