You don’t win the Super Bowl in September, but nevertheless, starting the season strong and establishing your squad as a “September contender” is a huge boost to surviving the inevitable grind of a long, physical NFL season.
Last year the Tennessee Titans went 1-2 in their three September games. If they had gone 3-0 they would have been able to withstand the brutal seven-game losing streak that capped off their 2022 season, making the playoffs, with an outside shot at a big run.
Sports bettors also know that stacking up wins in the first month of the NFL is important to cashing win-total or Titans playoff chances future tickets offered by Tennessee sportsbooks.
So with the NFL season less than a month away, BetTennesee.com decided to find the best September teams since 2010. We used StatMuse.com to dig up the records, ordering the franchises by win percentage since not all teams have played an equal number of games in the first month.
Best NFL Teams in September Since 2010
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Titans Barely Miss Top Ten
In case there was any doubt about the importance of starting strong, the top five teams listed above have won 8 of the last 13 Super Bowls. Of course, the Titans are not one of those teams, but you can keep up with the Titans Super Bowl odds with us all season. They’ve gone 24-20 in September since 2010 and landed at number 11 overall among all NFL teams over that time period.
After imploding late in the season last year, this September fans will be on the edge of their seat throughout the first month of the season, anxiously watching to find out if new General Manager Ran Carthon and Head Coach Mike Vrabel’s offseason moves can right-the-ship.
Just two days following their Week 18 collapse against the Jaguars, the Titans' offensive coordinator Todd Downing was fired. Under Downing, Tennessee managed to score just 25 total touchdowns last year. Phenom running back Derrick Henry was responsible for 14 of those — rushing for 13 and tossing a TD as well. Clearly, the Titans need more from the rest of their offense.
That was certainly the focus of the draft, as they selected OT Peter Skoronski in the first round. Then on day two, Tennessee ended the precipitous fall of highly-touted Kentucky QB Will Levis, making him the 33rd overall selection. Levis is currently competing with Malik Willis, a third-round draft pick last year, for the backup role behind Ryan Tannehill.
But the biggest roster move is the free agent addition of future Hall of Famer DeAndre Hopkins. The 31-year-old wideout boasts the second most receiving yards and receptions amongst active NFL players.
Titans fans will get to see how the new offseason is shaping up when they open the season on the road against the New Orleans Saints, whose own new-look offense features Derek Carr under center. The Titans are currently three-point underdogs in the match-up, with a good chance of winning outright if Henry, Hopkins, and company can get it going against the Saints' stout D.
Week 2 sees the Titans as dogs once again, facing off against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers — another AFC team that failed to live up to expectations last season. As 3.5-point home underdogs, the Titans will need more from last year’s 32nd-ranked secondary to fend off Justin Herbert and his trio of elite wide receivers (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and first-round rookie Quentin Johnston).
The Titans head out on the road again in Week 3 to challenge DeShaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns. They’re 4.5-point underdogs in that match-up.
As of now, the best Tennessee sportsbooks are giving points to the Titans in all three of their September games. Titans backers could be in for a nice treat if the team can return to their strong September form in 2023.