The Tennessee Titans Are the AFC's Dark Horse—and America's Darling

The Tennessee Titans were never supposed to be sexy. But after upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, now they're one of the hottest teams in football.

Last offseason, the Titans Board of Directors fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Ruston Webster—a 'house cleaning' that usually signifies a massive re-shaping of the franchise. Instead, they retained interim head coach Mike Mularkey and tapped 79-year-old Dick LeBeau to coordinate the defense—despite the Hall of Famer having just been nudged out of the same post in Pittsburgh. Hardly the kind of extreme makeover that fires up the fanbase.

When first-time GM Jon Robinson traded up to draft clean-cut tackle Jack Conklin—even though presumptive No. 1 overall pick Laremy Tunsil was still on the board—the Titans again affirmed a blue-collar approach over big names and flashy talent.

They did it again in August, trading away former second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham—the only Titans skill-position player anybody had on their fantasy roster—for a backup offensive lineman. Free agent Rishard Matthews and fifth-round pick Tajae Sharpe would just have to go to work and get the job done with route-running and sure hands.

Factor in quarterback Marcus Mariota—a second-year first-rounder still growing into his pads—and a dearth of big-name defenders, and nobody thought the Titans were going to upset the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, and now Kansas City Chiefs on their way to a potential AFC South title.

Yet, that's just what they've done.

Sure, many appreciated general manager Jon Robinson's run-heavy approach to the draft and free agency. Head coach Mike Mularkey's goal of building an "exotic smashmouth" offense had a certain throwback appeal. But nobody predicted this team would go into Arrowhead Stadium, win a game with major playoff implications for both teams on the line and set themselves up for a 10-win season.

Given an air temperature that flirted with single digits, it's no surprise the first three quarters were slow, ugly, and tilted in Kansas City's favor. Then Tyreek Hill did this:

@ImFasterThanYa really is faster than you. Tyreek Hill give the @Chiefs an lead early.#KCvsTEN https://t.co/bp4EMA9fV6
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) December 18, 2016

Quarterback Alex Smith added a rushing touchdown of his own, and by the fourth quarter the Chiefs' lead was a suspenseless 17-3. But Marcus Mariota and his no-name offense took over: Power-back reclamation project Demarco Murray and his protégé, second-round rookie Derrick Henry, were the glue that held back-to-back scoring drives together.

Mariota worked all areas of the field, giving the Titans a touchdown that left them just an finger's length away from the upset. With just over three minutes left, Mularkey controversially went for the win instead of the tie. It went poorly.

Down by one, the Titans' also-no-name defense needed to get a season-saving stop. And that's exactly what happened when… Al Woods? (whoever that is)… stopped Smith on 3rd-and-2. Mariota got kicker Ryan Succop in position for a 53-yard game winner, which he missed.

BUT WAIT! Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had called timeout in an attempt to ice Succop, but instead, the veteran drained his second attempt, giving the Titans a massive win:

Titans kicker Ryan Succop just told me on the field that kick in this weather was way out of his range. He has no idea how he made it.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) December 18, 2016

The Titans have now established they can beat anybody, anywhere. They should crush the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, and have every opportunity to beat the Houston Texans head-to-head in a winner-take-all season finale.

After that? These ugly ducklings have already been stunting on all the AFC's prettiest swans. Who knows how far they could go?