While many, including the Titans, have clearly dismissed it as insignificant, the Tennessee Titans' upcoming game on Thursday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys could actually still affect the Titans' playoff chances.

After checking out the NFL's upcoming schedule and crunching some numbers in a playoff simulator, I've discovered a couple Titans playoff scenarios that are contingent on a win over Dallas.

Believe it or not, Tennessee still has plenty to play for on Thursday night.

1. Play for the Tie

If the Titans were to get a win on Thursday Night against the Cowboys, it would open up another potential scenario for them to win the AFC South title. To this point, Week 18 against Jacksonville has been viewed as a "win or go home" for both teams, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case for Tennessee.

A win over the Cowboys and a Texans win over the Jaguars would set up Tennessee to win the AFC South title with a win or a tie against the Jags in Week 18. That opens a whole new avenue of possibility in the final game of the season.

Playing for the tie in the season's final game may feel like a long shot, but if you ask any Chargers, Steelers, or Raiders fan that had to sweat out a Week 18 matchup last season, it's not impossible to find yourself in that situation.

Asking for the red hot Jaguars to lose to the 2-12-1 Houston Texans is also a long shot, but even if Jacksonville were to win that game, getting a win over Dallas would set up another situation where the Titans could get a wild card birth.

2. Wild Card Scenario

Somehow, there is still a possible playoff scenario where the Titans sneak in as the seventh seed in the AFC playoff picture and land a wild card spot.

This scenario involves Tennessee defeating Dallas on Thursday Night Football, the Jaguars beating the Texans, and the two teams tying in their final game of the season. They would also have to get help from around the league. While a long series of games would all have to go the right way, none of them seem too far fetched or impossible.

Here is what would need to happen: Titans defeat Cowboys (Thursday), Jaguars defeat Texans (Sunday), Patriots defeat Dolphins (Sunday), Seahawks defeat Jets (Sunday), Bills defeat Patriots (Week 18), Jets defeat Dolphins (Week 18), and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose at least one of their final two games.

Should all of those things happen, Tennessee and Jacksonville would be in a scenario similar to the Chargers and Raiders from last season, where the winner of their Week 18 game is in the playoff picture, but a tie gets both teams in. 

The Steelers, Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins would all finish the season with an 8-9 record, and Tennessee could then jump the line at 8-8-1.

Don't mistake this for me thinking this is likely, though. In order for this playoff scenario to even be relevant by this weekend, the Titans will need another Music City Miracle against the Cowboys on Thursday night with most of their starters resting. But it is still worth pointing out that this game with Dallas is not completely inconsequential. It can open a few doors, and if nothing else, can swing momentum in the right direction before the biggest game of the season.

3. Momentum going into Jacksonville

The Titans need to freshen up on how to win. Sometimes seeing one go in the win column and building positive morale is just as essential as health and preparation. That's something Tennessee should still be playing for against Dallas.

The number one priority is Jacksonville. As it should be. But those playing in the game on Thursday have an opportunity to bring some positive vibes and confidence back into the Titans' locker room.

"Confidence level for me personally is always going to be high, hopefully I can reverberate that through the entire team," said Titans' safety Kevin Byard this week. "We have a game on Thursday that we need to go win. We don't care about anything after that, at least for right now. I know I'm playing, so I'm going to go out there and try to win a ball game."

Mike Vrabel made the smart decision to rest any impact players that have been playing through injury this week against Dallas, but those on the field still have a lot to play for.

Image via Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK