NASHVILLE — With a trip to the postseason on the line, the Tennessee Titans (10-5) conclude their regular season schedule this week with a trip to face the division rival Houston Texans (4-11). Kickoff at NRG Stadium is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. CST on Sunday, Jan. 3.
A Titans win, or a loss by the Indianapolis Colts against the Jacksonville Jaguars, will give the Titans their first AFC South title since 2008.
This is the second of two annual meetings between the Titans and Texans. On Oct. 18, the Titans hosted the Texans and won an overtime thriller. Derrick Henry's five-yard touchdown run in the extra period lifted the Titans to a 42-36 victory.
THE BROADCAST
This week's contest will be regionally televised on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel, analyst Rich Gannon and reporter Amanda Balionis.
Fans can livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android) and on TennesseeTitans.com mobile web. Restrictions apply. For more information and additional streaming options visit TennesseeTitans.com or NFL.com/ways-to-watch.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells, and gameday hosts Rhett Bryan and Jonathan Hutton.
TITANS CAN CLINCH DIVISION TITLE WITH WIN
While multiple avenues exist for the Titans to make the playoffs, the most direct is for them to defeat the Texans, which would secure their third playoff appearance in the last four seasons as well as their second consecutive playoff berth under head coach Mike Vrabel, who came to the team from the Texans in 2018. It would be their first division championship since they went 13-3 to take the AFC South crown in 2008.
The Titans remain atop of the AFC South standings following last week's 40-14 loss at Green Bay and the Colts' 28-24 loss at Pittsburgh. With an identical record of 10-5, the Colts are tied with the Titans, but the Titans hold the tiebreaker due to their superior division record (4-1 to 3-2). Sunday's Colts-Jaguars contest is also scheduled for 3:25 CT.
A loss to the Texans combined with a Colts win would give the Titans a second-place division finish, and it would put them in the mix with other hopefuls for one of three AFC wild-card berths. With the Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), Buffalo Bills (11-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) already claiming three of the conference's four division titles, the final four AFC postseason bids (one division winner and three wild cards) will come down to the Titans, Colts, Miami Dolphins (10-5), Baltimore Ravens (10-5) and Cleveland Browns (10-5).
The Titans clinch the AFC South title with:
Tennessee win (at Houston) OR
Indianapolis loss (vs. Jacksonville) OR
Tennessee tie (at Houston) AND Indianapolis tie (vs. Jacksonville)
The Titans clinch a playoff berth with:
Baltimore loss (at Cincinnati) OR
Miami loss (at Buffalo) OR
Tennessee tie (at Houston) AND Cleveland loss OR
Tennessee tie (at Houston) AND Miami tie (at Buffalo) OR
Tennessee tie (at Houston) AND Baltimore tie (at Cincinnati)
This is the fourth consecutive season the Titans enter Week 17 with a win-and-in playoff scenario. They advanced with wins in 2017 (vs. Jacksonville) and 2019 (at Houston) and lost in 2018 (vs. Indianapolis).
