It seems only fair that, since the NFL chose to shut the Titans out of primetime games for the first time since 2011, Tennessee should catch some kind of scheduling break this season.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan
In one sense, the Titans have gained an advantage because — barring the league flexing a Tennessee game into primetime — the team will have an opportunity to get into a very regular routine in 2025.
All 17 Titans games are scheduled for Sunday afternoons, with 11 set to kick off at noon CT and five slated for the late-afternoon time slot. The day and time of the Titans’ week 18 contest will be determined, as is the case with all NFL teams.
So, the Titans — again, barring a flex — won’t have to worry about any brief turnarounds this year because of Monday Night Football or Thursday Night Football.
But that doesn’t mean the Titans’ 2025 schedule is ideal compared to its opponents.
Tennessee actually has a negative rest differential of six days compared to its 2025 foes.
Rest differential is simply the combined number of days between games during the season, and the Titans’ total of -6 is the sixth-worst figure in the league. Detroit has the best rest differential of +13 days, while the Las Vegas Raiders are in the worst shape with a -19 rest differential.
Here’s how the net rest differential breaks down for the Titans in 2025:
• The Titans will be at a three-day rest loss in Week 5 against host Arizona. Tennessee will be coming off a Sunday game on Sept. 28 against Houston, while the Cardinals will have played their last contest Sept. 25 — on Thursday night — against Seattle.
• The Titans will once again be at a three-day rest loss in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Tennessee will have played its previous game against Indianapolis on Oct. 26, but the Chargers will be coming off an Oct. 23 Thursday night contest against Minnesota.
• The only time the Titans will get a rest differential advantage over an opponent will occur in Week 11 against Houston. Tennessee will be coming off a bye in Week 10, giving the Titans seven more days to rest/prepare than the Texans, who will have played Jacksonville in Week 10.
• The Titans will be at a seven-day rest disadvantage when they travel to San Francisco for a Week 15 contest. Tennessee will be coming off a Week 14 game against Cleveland, while the 49ers will be coming off a bye week.
What might come as good news for Titans fans is that net rest differential may not mean all that much.
In 2024, Tennessee had a +6 net rest differential, which ranked seventh-best in the league.
But it didn’t do the Titans much good during their 3-14 season.
In the five games the Titans had a better rest differential than opponents last year, the team posted a 1-4 mark, with losses to the New York Jets, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Cincinnati. Tennessee’s only win with a rest advantage came at Houston.
So, who knows?
Maybe a negative net rest differential in 2025 will lead to more positive results.