Fans always expected that the Tennessee Titans would have something on the line when they hosted New England in the last week of the regular season. But when the Titans were 2–7, most people thought they would spend the final week playing for the no. 1 overall draft pick — not a playoff spot.

Six straight wins later, the Titans are still a long shot to make the playoffs. Even if they beat New England, they also need Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati, Kansas City to beat Jacksonville, and San Francisco to beat Denver. But that the Titans are even in the discussion is quite an achievement.

The Titans have been among the league’s worst teams since they were forced to jettison many of their veterans in a salary cap purge after the 2003 season, and it looked like this season would be no different when the Titans started 0–5. But that fifth loss, a 14–13 near upset of the then undefeated Indianapolis Colts, was the beginning of Tennessee’s remarkable turnaround.

Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Value Over Average ratings (DVOA) — which break down each play of the season and compare it with the NFL average based on situation and opponent — ranked the Titans 30th on offense and 31st on defense after four weeks of the season. Since that near-upset of the Colts, the Titans rank 14th on offense and 13th on defense.

Those rankings are just slightly above average, and the Titans certainly haven’t been blowing opponents away: Only one of their eight wins this season came by more than a touchdown. But even “slightly above average”is far better than where Tennessee was three months ago.

The biggest reason for Tennessee’s turnaround is the performance of rookie quarterback Vince Young. It’s not a surprise when the first quarterback taken in the draft is playing well and establishing himself in a leadership position. The surprise is that Young has developed so quickly.

Young is the product of a college shotgun-option system where he ran almost as much as he threw the ball, and he had to learn both how to play in a pro-style offense and how to read complicated professional defenses. Most observers felt he needed a year, or maybe two, before he would be ready even to step on the field.

But when veteran Kerry Collins flopped in the first three games, the Titans put Young in the starting lineup. He struggled at first, but his numbers during this six-game winning streak show how quickly he has adapted to the NFL. He has completed 61% of his passes in the six wins, as opposed to 47% in the first half of the year.

Young’s learning curve was not just a matter of reading coverages. He also needed to learn when he could use his speed and agility to gain yardage, and when he needed to throw the ball away, because he can no longer slice through NFL defenses like he did at the University of Texas.

In the first nine games of the season, Young gained first downs (or touchdowns) on just 8 of 33 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry with four fumbles. During Tennessee’s six-game winning streak, Young has gained first downs (or touchdowns) on 22 of 39 runs, averaging 9.0 yards per carry with no fumbles.

Young is the biggest star on the Tennessee offense, but he’s not the only young player with growth ahead of him. Six of 11 offensive starters are either rookie or second-year players. That ties into the biggest reason for the Titans’ turnaround: While the Titans had poor drafts in 2003 and 2004, they’ve had excellent drafts in the last two years.

The 2003 draft was particularly bad; no player from that draft is a current starter, and second-round wide receiver Tyrone Calico isn’t even in the league anymore. The Titans’ top pick in 2004, tight end Ben Troupe, has struggled with injuries. Tennessee took four defensive linemen in rounds two, three, and four, and only defensive end Travis LaBoy developed into a starter.

The 2005 draft, however, was a gold mine of talent. Top pick Adam “Pac-Man” Jones still needs to deal with off-field maturity issues, but he’s become one of the top 5 cornerbacks in the league in just his second season. The other starting cornerback, Reynaldo Hill, was the seventh-round pick in last year’s draft. He’s nowhere near the player Jones is, but even a belowaverage starting cornerback is not something most teams will find in the seventh round.

The two unsung heroes of the Tennessee renaissance, offensive tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart, were taken in the second and fourth round of that 2005 draft. Starting wideout Brandon Jones came in the third round, and starting tight end Bo Sciafe, who was already familiar with Young since they were teammates at Texas, came in the sixth.

Along with Young, the other big star among this year’s Titans rookies is fourth-round linebacker Stephen Tulloch. When linebacker David Thornton was injured, Tulloch entered the lineup at middle linebacker with veteran Peter Sirmon shifting into Thornton’s outside spot. Even with Thornton back, Tulloch is getting plenty of playing time in a variety of defensive packages. He has quick instincts and gets to the ballcarrier swiftly but also plays well in zone pass coverage.

Other than Tulloch and the two cornerbacks, the Tennessee defense is an older unit, bolstered in the past two seasons by some excellent free agent signings. An ex-Arizona defensive end, Kyle Vanden Bosch, signed a one-year contract in Tennessee last year and racked up 12.5 sacks, a Pro Bowl invitation, and a much heftier contract extension. This year, the Titans added to their defense with Thornton (who is clearly missed in Indianapolis) and ex-Pittsburgh safety Chris Hope.

Despite these additions, the Tennessee defense still revolves around the great veteran outside linebacker Keith Bulluck. But Bulluck no longer has to feel like one man against the world. In 2004, Bulluck was involved in a higher percentage of his team’s defensive plays than any other NFL defender. Last year, he ranked third. This year, he’s not even in the top 10.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if the Titans finish 8–8 or 9–7 in 2006. What matters is where the Titans finish in 2007. If their young players continue to improve, the Titans will battle Indianapolis for the AFC South title — just as they did before the 2004 salary cap purge, and two years in the wilderness.

Mr. Schatz is editor in chief of Football-Outsiders.com.