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NFL/Teams/Tennessee Titans
FRANCHISE

NFL franchise story

Tennessee Titans

The franchise's line runs from Houston's AFL champion Oilers through Luv Ya Blue and Warren Moon to the Music City Miracle, Steve McNair and Derrick Henry's modern power football.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Tennessee Titans.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Tennessee Titans official NFL team page ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1960—1966

01
TENBLANDA—George Blanda
TENCANNON—Billy Cannon
TENHENNIGAN—Charlie Hennigan

Wide-open offense wins the first two league titles

The AFL champion Oilers

Houston won the first two AFL championships and reached a third behind Blanda's passing and one of the young league's most explosive attacks.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1960—1966

02▼

Franchise era

1967—1977

02
TENBETHEA—Elvin Bethea
TENBRAZILE—Robert Brazile
TENPASTORINI—Dan Pastorini

A defense begins to restore Houston pride

From collapse to Bum Phillips

The Oilers bottomed out before Phillips and the draft picks who would power one of the city's most beloved teams arrived.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

1967—1977

03▼

Franchise era

1978—1984

03
TENCAMPBELL—Earl Campbell
TENPASTORINI—Dan Pastorini
TENBRAZILE—Robert Brazile

Campbell carries Houston to two AFC title games

Luv Ya Blue

Campbell's punishing MVP seasons packed the Astrodome and sent Houston to consecutive conference championship games against Pittsburgh.

Read the era story →

Chapter 03

1978—1984

04▼

Franchise era

1985—1996

04
TENMOON1Warren Moon
TENJEFFIRES80Haywood Jeffires
TENCHILDRESS72Ray Childress

A historic passing offense meets historic heartbreak

Moon and the run-and-shoot

Moon flourished in Houston's wide-open offense and made seven straight playoffs, but the 32-point collapse in Buffalo became the era's defining ending.

Read the era story →

Chapter 04

1985—1996

05▼

Franchise era

1997—2004

05
TENMCNAIR9Steve McNair
TENGEORGE27Eddie George
TENKEARSE90Jevon Kearse

The Music City Miracle launches a Super Bowl run

The Titans arrive

After two temporary seasons, Tennessee found its name and stadium, then came one yard short of overtime in Super Bowl XXXIV.

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Chapter 05

1997—2004

06▼

Franchise era

2005—2015

06
TENJOHNSON28Chris Johnson
TENBULLUCK53Keith Bulluck
TENROOS71Michael Roos

Explosive rushing bridges changing quarterbacks

From CJ2K to another rebuild

Johnson's 2,006-yard season supplied the peak as Tennessee cycled through coaches and quarterbacks after the McNair core.

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Chapter 06

2005—2015

07▼

Franchise era

2016—2021

07
TENHENRY22Derrick Henry
TENTANNEHILL17Ryan Tannehill
TENBROWN11A.J. Brown

A throwback runner controls modern playoff games

Henry's power contender

Henry's rushing titles and Tannehill's revival carried Tennessee to the 2019 AFC Championship Game and consecutive division titles.

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Chapter 07

2016—2021

08

Franchise era

2022—present

08
TENSIMMONS98Jeffery Simmons
TENLEVIS8Will Levis
TENRIDLEY18Calvin Ridley

The power core gives way to a younger roster

The next Tennessee reset

The Titans began moving on from the Henry–Tannehill team and rebuilding around Simmons, new skill talent and another quarterback search.

Read the era story →

Chapter 08

2022—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Tennessee Titans games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship
1992
TENNESSEETITANS
BUFFALOBILLS
JAN 3, 1993

Oilers vs Bills

Jan 3, 1993

#02 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship
1961
HOUSTONOILERS
SAN DIEGOCHARGERS
1961-12-24

Houston Oilers vs San Diego Chargers

1961-12-24

#03 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship
1967
HOUSTONOILERS
OAKLANDRAIDERS
1967-12-31

Houston Oilers vs Oakland Raiders

1967-12-31

#04 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1979
HOUSTONOILERS
SAN DIEGOCHARGERS
1979-12-29

Houston Oilers vs San Diego Chargers

1979-12-29

#05 · Wild Card

Wild Card
1988
HOUSTONOILERS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
1988-12-24

Houston Oilers vs Cleveland Browns

1988-12-24

Season history

Every season

67 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

1,074 total · loaded 10 at a time