Should next week in Jacksonville not go to plan for the Tennessee Titans, a series of games in the next two weeks will have a large impact on Tennessee's draft position. There is a very possible scenario where a win next week puts the Titans in the playoffs, but a loss gives them a top 10 pick. Here's a look at what Titans fans should be rooting for in the next few weeks in order to ensure the best draft pick possible, just in case Tennessee comes up short of the playoffs:

Current Draft Position

As I write this following the Titans' loss to the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, the 7-9 Titans are currently positioned to have the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Should they win next week, Tennessee would probably have either the 19th or 20th selection with a home playoff game. Should they lose to Jacksonville and miss out on the playoffs, that draft position could continue to improve. Six NFL teams are guaranteed to have a better draft pick than Tennessee at the moment. That's the Texans, Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, and Colts, as well as at least one team from the NFC South, depending on how the finals games shake out. In the situation where Tennessee loses to Jacksonville, 16 teams are already guaranteed to have a worse draft pick than the Titans. That means worst case scenario, Tennessee drafts 16th. Best case scenario, they wind up picking 7th (best case scenario is a playoff appearance, but you know what I mean).

Tie Breakers

If you're curious how the draft order is determined for teams with the same record, it's actually the inverse of the NFL playoff tiebreakers. In all cases, head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. The team that lost the head-to-head matchup would receive the better draft pick. If team's have not played each other this season, or are split in the season series (same division), tiebreakers are determined based on things like conference record, common games, or strength of schedule. If two teams are in the same conference, the tiebreaker hierarchy is as follows:

1. Head-to-head record: loser get the higher draft pick.
2. Winning percentage in conference games: lower winning percentage gets the higher draft pick.
3. Winning percentage in common games (minimum of four): the team with the lower winning percentage gets the higher pick.
4. Strength of victory: the aggregate winning percentage of the opponents each team has defeated is calculated, and the team with the lower strength of victory gets the higher pick.

When teams are tied in record, have not played each other, and do not play in the same conference, winning percentage in common games becomes the tiebreaker. That is followed by strength of victory and point differential.

Best Case Scenario

With all that in mind, what would need to happen for the Titans to get the best draft pick possible in case they lose the AFC South battle? In simplest terms, the 7-10 Titans (factoring in a Week 18 loss), would want as many teams to get to seven or eight wins as possible. Tennessee would jump the six-win Raiders and Browns in draft position should one or both of them lose out. Current seven-win teams like New England, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh need to win one of their final two games. Meanwhile, other seven-win teams like the Lions, Seahawks, and Jets could not drop below Tennessee because of tiebreakers. Their game results would not change Tennessee's draft position. Some of the "what if" scenarios cannot fully be calculated yet due to the strength of victory tiebreaker being contingent on every other game result, but here's the good news: Tennessee's seven wins are against teams that are a combined 34-67-2. Their "strength of victory" win percentage is worse than any other teams in contention to reach seven wins, so the Titans would get the better pick in a majority of tiebreakers. https://twitter.com/Sam_Phalen/status/1608899206714118144?s=20&t=tP0WdItZgOlZzfrd3GIWxw So if you want to know what to root for, root for any team in the 5-7 win range to win as many games as possible over the next two weekends. If you're looking for something incredibly specific, here's the full rundown on the scenario where the Titans wind up with the 7th overall pick in the draft:

• Tennessee Titans lose to Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 18 @ JAX)
• Atlanta Falcons win out (vs. ARI, vs. TB)
• Los Angeles Rams win out (@ LAC, @ SEA)
• Las Vegas Raiders win out (vs. SF, vs. KC)
• Cleveland Browns win out (@ WAS, @ PIT)
• Either the New Orleans Saints or Carolina Panthers win out.
• Green Bay Packers win one of their final two games (vs. MIN, vs. DET)
• Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Baltimore Ravens (Week 17 @ BAL)
• New England Patriots win one of their final two games (vs. MIA, @ BUF)

*SCENARIO UPDATE*The Titans got four games to go their way in the early slate on Sunday, keeping the 7th overall pick scenario alive. New England defeated Miami, 23-21, giving them their eighth win of the season. The Browns, Saints, and Falcons also pulled out wins, meaning Tennessee would jump each of them in the draft order should the Titans lose and they win next week.Tennessee would now need the Rams, Raiders, and Steelers to win on Sunday in order to keep hope alive into next week. With all of that needing to happen, 7th overall, while mathematically possible, seems a bit far fetched. Tennessee cracking the top 10 is a real possibility, though. Anytime something on that list happens, it is good for the Titans. The goal is, and always will be, to get healthy and make the playoffs. But for Titans fans not feeling too optimistic about the team's final game in Jacksonville, perhaps watching the NFL this weekend with some of these scenarios in mind can fuel your rooting interest.