Tennessee Titans have a path to three-peat an AFC South trend after win over Texans
NASHVILLE – Last week, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was looking ahead at five games remaining against AFC South opponents and told the media that there was still a path for Tennessee to win the division. Just an absurd statement with the Titans sitting at 2-8. I'm not sure even Simmons believed it when […]
NASHVILLE – Last week, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was looking ahead at five games remaining against AFC South opponents and told the media that there was still a path for Tennessee to win the division.
Just an absurd statement with the Titans sitting at 2-8. I'm not sure even Simmons believed it when it came out of his mouth. But after an upset win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, all hope is not lost for Tennessee.
Sunday's victory only further opened up a path for the Titans to get back in the division race and potentially three-peat on a trend that seems to exist with AFC South division winners.
AFC South History
Should they pull off the miracle comeback, Tennessee would be the third straight AFC South team to go from worst to first with a young quarterback under center after making a coaching change in the offseason. It would also be the third year in a row that one team choked away a massive lead in the standings after Thanksgiving.
In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars won the dividsion after starting 3-7. The Jags were the worst team in the league one year prior, but came out of a bye week and rattled off six of seven. They defeated the Titans in Week 18 to get to 9-8 and clinch the division title while Tennessee lost seven straight and choked away a playoff spot.
That 2022 Jaguars team had a young second-year quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and a new head coach in Doug Pederson.
In 2023, the Houston Texans went from being one the the NFL's worst teams to division champions thanks to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Houston was in the mix for a wild card birth all year long, but the AFC South title always felt out of reach with Jacksonville rolling out to an 8-3 start.
Jacksonville would limp to a finish at 9-8 while the 10-7 Texans became division champions under rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans.
The Titans' Path
The Titans are hoping to recreate some of that magic in 2024 under rookie head coach Brian Callahan and second-year quarterback Will Levis. Tennessee spent a lot of money in the offseason to be more competitive and provide support for Levis. But up to this point, the Titans have looked out of sync every week in one or more phases of the game.
Callahan's offense seems to be gradually improving, and after putting up 32 points against the Texans on Sunday, things could finally be coming together,
I know it sounds absurd, but the path is not impossible, even if the odds are slim. The Titans winning out would give them a 9-8 record on the season and also mean they finish with a 5-1 record in the division. If they can defeat the Commanders next Sunday, the most challenging game left on Tennessee's schedule would be…another matchup with the Texans at Nissan Stadium in Week 18.
The Titans winning out would mathematically guarantee they finish better than the Jaguars and Colts in the division standings. It would all be on the Texans (7-5), to go 3-1 in games against the Jaguars, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Ravens. Let's say Houston splits those games…They'd roll into Week 18 at 9-7. A loss to the Titans would put both team at 9-8 and push Tennessee into the playoffs.
Highly unlikely…but as I said, not impossible. If there's one division where i could see this happening, it's the AFC South. We've all seen this movie before, but can the Titans actually be the protagonists this time?
Jeffery Simmons put the reverse jinx on Titans fatal flaw before win over Texans
Titans reverse the curse.
