The Tennessee Titans are officially bound for the playoffs after recording a 35-14 win over the division rival Houston Texans.
The Texans did rest a number of key players, but the Titans put on a dominant performance and look polished on offense nonetheless.
With the victory, the Titans moved up from No. 12 to No. 11 overall in Touchdown Wire’s final regular season NFL power rankings.
Here’s what Pat Yasinkas had to say about placing the Titans directly ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles and behind the Texans.
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“The Titans needed a win against Houston to clinch a playoff spot. So what if the Texans sat many of their starters? Tennessee, which started the season 2-4, enters the playoffs on a roll and is a dangerous team,” he wrote. “That’s because quarterback Ryan Tannehill has found a home in Nashville after taking over the starting job from Marcus Mariota. Tennessee’s offense now is loaded with running back Derrick Henry, who finished as the league leader in rushing yards (1,540) and A.J. Brown, a budding superstar at wide receiver. The only bad news is the Titans have to go to New England in the first round of the playoffs.”
The Titans are set to face the New England Patriots in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. CST on Saturday.
The Patriots have been practically unstoppable in recent history, but recorded an embarrassing 27-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, and will be looking to bounce back.
With a win, the Titans would take on the Baltimore Ravens next.