NASHVILLE In the weeks leading up to the 2021 season, Tenne see Titans fans salivated at the prospects of a high-powered pa sing attack, looked forward to another record-breaking year for running back Derrick Henry, and hoped the combination of those two would make up for a shoddy defense.Would the sum really be enough to capture a second straight AFC South title? Or would those defensive holes prove too much to overcome?My, how things have changed from summer to winter.The Titans are division champs all right, earning the crown Sunday with a 34-3 thrashing of a Miami Dolphins team that had won seven straight games entering the contest.But Kabion Ento Jersey who could have gue sed they would do it this way?Who would have believed way back before the season began the Titans would even be in position to win the division if theyd known Henry would be lost after eight games, that Julio Jones would be a non-factor, that Ryan Tannehill would throw more interceptions this season than all but one in his career?On the other hand, it would have been all but impo sible to forecast a defense that on Sunday held its fourth straight opponent under 20 points. A defense that was rolled on a regular basis last season has now allowed a combined 39 points an average of le s than 10 per contest in those four games.It was a most unexpected route to take, but here were the Titans laughing, joking and wearing their AFC South champion swag after the franchises first back-to-back division titles since the early 1960s.It feels excellent. It feels great, safety Kevin Byard said. Watching this fan base embrace this city, embrace the team, its definitely been great. So, definitely happy.Two-time division champs, but Im pretty sure everybody thats going to come up here is going to echo it that were not done yet. The seasons just getting started. Theres a lot more meat out there on the bone.So just who are these Titans that can claim the AFCs top seed and playoff bye week next Sunday with a win against Houston?Heres what we know, even if its not what we might have anticipated months or even weeks ago.Scroll to ContinueThe running game lives. It was easy to believe the Titans rushing attack would collapse in the absence of Henry, the seemingly indestructible King who went down with a broken bone in his foot in Week 8. Aaron Rodgers T Shirts But it has done more than just survive since then. In recent weeks, its even thrived. Led by DOnta Foremans 132 yards, the Titans ran for 198 yards against a stout Miami run defense. As of now, three of the teams top rushing totals of this the other two were 270 yards against New England, and 201 yards against Pittsburgh came in the Paul Hornung Jersey last five weeks, with no Henry in the lineup. Foreman, who was at home sitting on his couch until Henrys injury, topped 100 yards for the third time in five games.There is always room for improvement, but those guys ran their a s off today (Dontrell) Hilliard, Foreman, (Jeremy) McNichols, they ran their a ses off, Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said. They found holes and the boys were blocking. That is a really good defense. Hats off to the Dolphins. They have won seven in a row for a reason. Their defense was that dominant. We knew we had a lot to play up to. I am proud of that.The pa sing game is efficient. In this day and age, its hard to believe that Tannehills stats against the Dolphins 13 completions in 18 attempts for 120 yards were part of a blowout . It actually marked the fifth straight game the Titans had thrown for fewer than 200 yards. But Tannehill did what he needed to do against the Dolphins: He threw a pair of touchdown pa ses against his former team, and he threw zero interceptions for the third time in four weeks.Is this the pa sing attack that was envisioned with Jones on one side, A.J. Brown on the other and a handful of other complementary receivers chipping in? No, it is not. But the presence of Brown alone gives the Titans a much-needed playmaker, someone Tannehill can count on when hes looking for that downfield completion or third-down connection. Browns presence also has a ripple effect on the rest of the pa sing attack, meaning the Titans remaining receivers are more likely to win their one-on-one battles.The defense is shocking. Its incredible to see so much improvement on one side of the ball in a single season. One small example from the game on Sunday: The defense posted its third game of the season with at least four sacks and two takeaways. Miamis offense may not rival Green Bays or Kansas Citys, but the Dolphins never even advanced beyond the Titans 20-yard line.Remember how futile the pa s rush was last year, registering just 19 sacks? The Titans have 45 this season, with one more game to go. Remember how Reggie White Jersey hard it was for the Titans to get off the field last year, when opponents converted first downs at a mind-blowing 52 percent? Over the last four weeks, the Titans have allowed just 13 conversions in 34 attempts, a succe s rate of just 30 percent for opponents.We kind of know what we are as a defense, Byard said. We dont give up big plays. Teams cant run the ball on us. We feel like we can stop anybody as far as running the ball. Guys are flying out there and making plays, trying to get the ball out, turnovers and things like that. Were just a confident group.Whether that formula proves enough to push the Titans on a long playoff run remains Corey Bradford Jersey to be seen.Will the offense have the nece sary firepower if it needs to keep pace in a shoot-out with a team like the Chiefs, Bills or Bengals? Will the defense look just as good against the AFCs elite clubs as it has against teams like the Dolphins, Steelers and Jaguars in recent weeks?We just dont know the answers to those questions yet.But we do know this: With one game left in the regular season, the Titans are exactly where they hoped to be at this point even if the journey hasn't been what anyone expected.