By John Sarianides

The Tennessee Titans are a sexy dark horse pick in the AFC. Marcus Mariota and company are ready to live up to the hype. It won’t be easy however in the highly competitive AFC South. 

Here are three keys for the 2017 Titans.

1. Offensive Balance: The Titans were clearly a run first team last season but they will need to be more balanced this season to keep teams honest and be more consistently productive on offense.

2. Defensive Revival: Tennessee has one of the most underrated front seven’s in all of football but an undermanned secondary has kept this defense from being elite. The addition of veteran cornerback Logan Ryan gives this team a veteran presence and a leader on the back end.

3. Belief: The Titans have been dormant for a long time. It will be interesting to see if they truly believe they can contend in the AFC. The outside world thinks they can. Now they have to prove they believe that. 

In the End: The Titans have a playoff caliber roster but in order for them to make the playoffs, Marcus Mariota needs to play at an elite level and the defense must improve. Tennessee certainly has the talent to be a threat in the AFC.