I’m sure at this point in the week, you’ve all heard the stats – the Tennessee Titans playoff chances have now dropped to an abysmal 14%. Furthermore, they have just a 2% chance of winning the AFC South. It looks like our beloved Titans are cooked, folks.
But on the surface, that sounds crazy, right?
I mean, the team is 5-6, they’re only one game out of the second wild card spot, and they’ve proven capable of playing as well as anybody in the league (see games: vs. New England, vs. Dallas)! But, it’s not so much the record as it is who’s ahead of them, and just how poorly timed their slip-ups were.
It starts with the 8-3 Houston Texans who are currently sitting on top of the AFC South. They split the season series with the Titans, but they’re starting to run away in terms of win total. If it comes down to AFC record, the Titans are screwed. Every single one of their six losses have come in the AFC, meaning their conference record is a dreadful 3-6. The only way they’re winning the AFC South is to win it outright and avoid going to tiebreakers. In order for that to happen, they’d have to go 4-1 assuming the Texans lose out. But, how crazy does that sound? Plus, that’s not even taking the Indianapolis Colts into account! Forget the AFC South – that’s a pipe dream. Damn near impossible.
So, let’s drop down to the wild card rankings – the Los Angeles Chargers are sitting there at 8-3 with a 5-2 record in the AFC and a head to head victory over the Titans. The Titans ain’t passin’ them, folks.
Then you have the sixth slot – that second wild card. This is probably the Titans best hope of reaching the postseason. Currently, the Baltimore Ravens are holding that spot. But, the Ravens absolutely stifled the Titans earlier in the season, so they have the head-to-head there. Plus, all six of the Ravens wins came within the AFC for a nice little 6-3 conference record. The Ravens could feasibly finish 3-2 with games against the Chargers, Browns, and Chiefs on the docket. But, that would mean the Titans would have to finish 4-1 just to tie them. Do you trust the Titans to run the table?? I don’t.
And, that’s not taking the Colts into consideration, who are one of if not the hottest team in the AFC right now. They’re sitting at 6-5, with – you guessed it – a head to head tiebreaker and a better AFC record than the Titans.
But, those are just the teams with better records than the Titans. Factor in the other 5-6 teams and you’ll find the Miami Dolphins, who….would you believe it? THEY have a head to head tiebreaker and a better AFC record than the Titans. The Denver Broncos look like the best 5-6 team out there – they haven’t played the Titans, but I think it’s a game they’d win. The Cincinnati Bengals appear to be at the same sort of crossroads as the Titans, just trying to figure out what to do and where this season is going to go. But, they’re no pushover.
Plus, the Titans have to stave off a couple of the teams below them in the rankings. But, they lost to the 4-7 Buffalo Bills! Are we even certain they would beat the Cleveland Browns right now? I don’t know.
The Titans are in a position where they have to pretty much win out, and they’ll need a ton of help, to get to the playoffs. That stinks.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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