Heading into the 2022 NFL season, the Titans were the clear favorite for the AFC South title.
One look at the roster and it was easy to see why. Any team employing Derrick Henry has a great chance at being productive. Couple that with a solid, if unspectacular, option under center in Ryan Tannehill and a defensive unit that proved one of the stoutest in the league last year, and it's easy to see why many were so high on boys from Nashville.
Things haven't quite turned out as smoothly in 2022. Despite playing in a putrid division, Tennessee hasn't been able to find its rhythm. On Saturday, the Titans' season reached a new low; they dropped their duel with the Texans, 19-14.
It was a loss that could prove quite consequential. Heading into Saturday's affair, Tennessee was clinging onto a half game lead over the upstart Jaguars.
That lead has now evaporated. Here's where things stands for the Titans as they head into Week 17.
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Titans playoff picture
Tennessee sits in 10th place in the AFC at the time of writing, two wins off the seventh place Dolphins. Jacksonville, who also holds a 7-8 record, currently sits at the top of the AFC South by way of a tiebreaker.
What playoff tiebreakers are in the Titans' favor?
The Titans are lacking in playoff tiebreakers, having dropped their Week 15 clash to the Bolts. They find themselves on the outside looking in after falling 36-22 to the Jags in Week 14.
Tennessee's chances aren't necessarily dead in the water. A rubber match with Jacksonville awaits Mike Vrabel's side in Week 18, one that will undoubtedly decide the division. But at the moment, it's the Jags who have the edge in the tiebreaker. And that won't change if Jacksonville were to drop its next game.
MORE: Jaguars playoff chances in AFC South
Titans' remaining schedule
With two games remaining, time is running out for Tennessee to cement its playoff position. Those two matchups won't be any walk in the park, either. In Week 17, the Titans host the high-flying Cowboys. Tennessee's season will wrap up with a rubber match against the Jaguars, one guaranteed to decide who hoists the division title.
Can the Titans still make the playoffs?
The Titans still are in control of their own fate. They need wins, though. Heading into Saturday's game, Tennessee had a 54 percent chance of nabbing a playoff spot. That number now sits at 44 percent, according to New York Times.
