The Tennessee Titans were atop the AFC South and conference going into Week 10, and while that is still the case after the 23-21 win over the New Orleans Saints, the Titans also claimed a stake of the best record in the NFL.
Tennessee improved to 8-2 on Sunday, and thanks to the Carolina Panthers smoking the Arizona Cardinals, the Titans are tied for the top mark in the league with the aforementioned Cardinals, and the Green Bay Packers.
As far as the conference is concerned, the Titans opened up their lead there, now owning a two-game advantage over the Baltimore Ravens, who came into this week as the No. 2 seed but dropped their Thursday night game.
Also tied with the Ravens behind the Titans is the Buffalo Bills. The Bills currently own the No. 2 seed over the Ravens thanks to tie-breaker, which means Tennessee really has a three-game lead because they own the tie-breaker, which is head-to-head record, over the Bills.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Titans have a 76-percent chance to earn the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs, which is a better mark than any team in the NFL by a whopping 36 percent (Packers at 40 percent).
Last but certainly not least, the Titans maintained their three-game plus tie-breaker lead over the Indianapolis Colts, who narrowly squeezed one out against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 23-17.
- Tennessee Titans (8-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
- Houston Texans (1-8)
To get a better understanding of just how in control of the AFC South the Titans are, Tennessee could go 3-4 in their last seven games and Indianapolis would have to go undefeated in order to catch them and take the division (H/T Mike Herndon on Twitter).
The Titans could go 3-4 over the remainder of the season (vs HOU, at NE, vs JAX, at PIT, vs SF, vs MIA, at HOU) and the Colts would have to go undefeated to win the division. Just in case anyone was still pretending the AFC South was a race.
— Mike Herndon (@MikeMiracles) November 15, 2021
Looking ahead, the Titans have a peachy matchup against the 1-8 Houston Texans at home in Week 11. The Colts will be in a tough spot against the Bills on the road, while the Ravens travel to take on the Chicago Bears.
No matter what happens with the Titans next week, they’ll remain atop the AFC South and conference. If they win, they could open up their lead further depending on what happens with the Colts, Ravens and Bills.
[lawrence-related id=77544,77504]