The Tennessee Titans failed to punch their ticket to the postseason thanks to a Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and now there is an outside chance that the Titans could miss the playoffs altogether if they lose in Week 17.
However, it would take one specific chain of events for that to happen, as outlined in a release provided by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that shows how things would shake out based on who wins which matchups.
Here’s how it could go down if the Titans lose to the Houston Texans:
1. Texans defeat Titans and
2. Miami Dolphins defeat Buffalo Bills and
3. Baltimore Ravens defeat Cincinnati Bengals and
4. Indianapolis Colts defeat Jacksonville Jaguars
Should all of these outcomes unfold — this certainly isn’t impossible given the matchups — the Titans will have gone from being in the driver’s seat to not making the playoffs at all.
But even if the Titans lose, that doesn’t mean they’ll miss out on making the playoffs, or even winning the division. Of course, the easiest way to wrap up the AFC South is with a win, which would render the Colts’ result irrelevant.
For the division to be secured with a loss, Tennessee would need Indianapolis to lose, also. We could even go a step further and say a Titans tie and Colts tie will also give Tennessee the AFC South, although that is pretty unlikely.
To simply clinch a playoff spot without a win, the Titans would need one of the five following scenarios to unfold:
1. BAL loss (at CIN) OR
2. MIA loss (at BUF) OR
3. TEN tie and CLE loss (vs. PIT) OR
4. TEN tie and MIA tie OR
5. TEN tie and BAL tie
Bear in mind, the Ravens and Dolphins play in the earlier slate of games, so it’s quite possible the Titans will have clinched a playoff spot before even taking the field on Sunday should either team lose.
But as we know, nothing ever comes easy for the Titans.
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