Division Crown Can Salvage an Otherwise Forgettable Season

NASHVILLE – Greater than a month and a half since successful their final sport, the Tennessee Titans nonetheless have an opportunity to perform one thing of significance this season.

Thank goodness for the AFC South, proper?

When the Titans take the sector in opposition to Jacksonville on Saturday, they’ll accomplish that understanding that one win – only one – will earn them a 3rd straight division crown.

Extra importantly, after all, that title comes with an automated journey to the postseason, which, if you happen to’re counting, would make 4 straight for the Titans – and three straight seasons with a house playoff sport.

“I feel (what could be most) important would simply be successful, successful a sport that has quite a bit on the road – that’s a playoff sport,” coach Mike Vrabel mentioned. “You win and also you get to maintain enjoying. You get to maintain coming to work.”

Within the grand scheme of issues, making the playoffs might not imply a lot for the Titans (7-9), who wouldn’t seemingly final lengthy within the postseason, given the workforce’s injury-depleted roster and its lack of ability to win for the previous six weeks.

However hey, wouldn’t it at the least be good to place one thing on the résumé for 2022, one thing to cushion the frustration of a season that regarded prefer it held a lot extra promise when the Titans beat Inexperienced Bay and improved to 7-3 on Nov. 17?

As a result of if the Titans don’t win on Saturday, and in the event that they fail to make the playoffs, the 2022 obituary would look much more ghastly than it seems proper now.

In that occasion, the doubtful accomplishments would come with:

• A sub-.500 regular-season file (already assured), the Titans’ first since 2015, approaching the heels of a 12-5 season that noticed Tennessee earn the AFC’s primary seed.

• A season-ending, seven-game dropping streak, which might be the longest for the Titans since Ken Whisenhunt’s bunch completed off the 2014 season by dropping 10 straight en path to a 2-14 mark.

• The likelihood that the Titans wouldn’t have overwhelmed one workforce – that completed the common season with a successful file. Inexperienced Bay (8-8) has an opportunity to complete above .500.

• Getting swept by the Jaguars for the primary time since 2006, in addition to dropping at dwelling to each Houston and Jacksonville (already assured) for the primary time since 2004.

Yuck.

At this level, it looks like what the Titans have accomplished finest this season is – for probably the most half – grasp powerful, regardless of an insufficient offensive roster, and regardless of one other debilitating run of accidents that’s seen the workforce place an NFL-high 34 gamers on injured reserve.

However sooner or later, being aggressive and coming shut isn’t a lot to look again on with a smile, particularly contemplating the Titans went 0-3 of their final three one-score video games, failing to win even after they managed to maintain issues tight.

“It’s not OK simply to compete and never find yourself successful,” Vrabel mentioned. “We have now to win. We will return and we will have a look at all these video games the place, `Man, you guys have been actually aggressive, however we simply got here up a little bit bit quick.’

“There’s been, all through the final six weeks, some actually, actually aggressive moments — sadly not adequate and never constantly sufficient. We simply should put it altogether this week.”

Which brings us again to Saturday’s sport in Jacksonville.

It’s yet one more likelihood for a flawed Titans workforce to seize that brass ring, yet one more likelihood to name themselves divisional champs, yet one more likelihood to make the playoffs.

Given how lengthy they’ve been tumbling, it’s all of the Titans may ask.