The Tennessee Titans’ season all comes down to one game in Week 18 against their division rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars, something that was unimaginable just a month ago.
The Titans entered the month of December off a close loss to the Cincinnati Bengals but were still 7-4 and in complete control of the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Jaguars were 4-7 and just trying to hang around.
But then December actually happened and the Titans, who were thought to be over-achieving with a below-average offense that was being propped up by an elite defense all season, hit the skids.
Starting with an embarrassing loss at the hands of A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles, and the subsequent firing of general manager Jon Robinson, Tennessee’s season began spiraling out of control.
The loss coming into December turned into a six-game losing streak, and the Titans found themselves finishing the month 0-5 while also losing key members of their offense, including Ryan Tannehill.
In the process, the Jaguars got hot and are now in first place.
If the Titans figure out a way to secure their third-straight division crown with a win in Week 18, they’ll make NFL history, marking the first time a team has gone 0-4 or worse in December and still made the playoffs.
A note on next week’s epic AFC South championship game between the #Jaguars and #Titans.
No team in NFL history has gone 0-4 in December and made the playoffs. The Titans finished 0-5 in December with their loss to the #Cowboys.— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 31, 2022
No matter who wins, the victor will be joining an exclusive group. The Titans and Jaguars have endured losing streaks of six and five games, respectively, this season.
Only seven teams in NFL history have made the playoffs with losing streaks of five-plus games in a season. Tennessee or Jacksonville will be the eighth.
AFC South will be won by a team that had either a 5 game (Jags) or 6 game (Titans) losing streak. Only teams to make playoffs w/ skid of 5+ games in a season:
2020 Bears 6
2020 Washington 5
2015 Chiefs 5
2014 Panthers 6
1997 Vikings 5
1986 Jets 5
1970 Bengals 6— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 30, 2022
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