Remaining Games Ranked By Difficulty

It was not long ago when the Tennessee Titans seemed to be primed to run away with the AFC South.

There were visible weaknesses – most of which are still present – but the Titans sat atop the division at 5-0 after six weeks. The offense carried the team, scoring at least 30 points in four of the five victories. The defense, meanwhile, has been inconsistent. So have the special teams.

With seven games to play, the Titans (6-3) have lost three of their last four and are tied for first place in the division with the Indianapolis Colts (the Colts currently own the tiebreaker based on their victory Thursday at Nissan Stadium).

From here on out, the schedule does not get any easier. Four of their remaining opponents have winning records and are in the playoff discussion. Five of their final seven games will be played on the road.

“No matter where we play, we're just going to have to play better,” coach Mike Vrabel said Friday. “We are going to have to coach better and be ready to get going. We’re in this thing but you're going to have to win games against a really good Ravens team and that's our focus. So, no matter where they are, we're going to have to play better and coach better and find ways to win football games.”

AllTitans ranks the Titans’ seven remaining opponents based on difficulty (toughest to easiest):

Baltimore Ravens, Week 11: The Titans will travel to Baltimore next Sunday to take on a 6-2 Ravens squad. Not only are the Ravens one of the best teams in the league right now, they will be looking for revenge.

The Titans punched the No. 1 seeded Ravens in the mouth last January in the AFC Divisional Round to advance to the AFC Championship game. The Ravens had Super Bowl aspirations last winter, and they surely have not forgotten that 28-12 disappointment.

Green Bay Packers, Week 16: Lambeau Field. December. Prime time. Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. That should explain it.

The Packers (6-2) own one the NFL’s best offenses, while the Titans have one of the NFL’s worst defenses. If Tennessee’s defense is still struggling by the time Week 16 rolls around, this will be an extremely tough game to win.

Indianapolis Colts, Week 12: This is setting up to be the most important game on the schedule. The Colts (6-3) took the Titans to task Thursday to the tune of 34-17. They scored 21 unanswered second-half points and were the better team in all three phases. The division race likely hinges on this matchup.

Cleveland Browns, Week 13: The Browns (5-3) have been in the AFC Wild Card race all season and will need every victory they can get to make the postseason for the first time since 2002. The Titans will need to be wary of a hungry, desperate opponent that is more than capable of winning football games. Cleveland has an explosive offense, headlined by running back Nick Chubb and pass catchers Jarvis Landry and David Njoku.

Detroit Lions, Week 15: The Lions (3-5) have played a lot better than their record. They’ve been competitive in almost every game this season. And Matthew Stafford is still their quarterback. This could be a trap game for the Titans, and they’ll need to do their best to avoid it.

Houston Texans, Week 17: The Texans (2-6) have been a mess this season. They fired coach Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start to the season and will be searching for a new head coach at the conclusion of this season. While Houston took the Titans to overtime in Week 6, this could be a run-for-the-bus game for the Texans. However, the Titans should not take them lightly. Quarterback Deshaun Watson always has something to prove, and he’s in the midst of a Pro Bowl Season.

Jacksonville Jaguars, Week 14: The Jaguars (1-7) nearly beat the Titans in Week 2 at Nissan Stadium, but they haven’t been the same team since. Quarterback Gardner Minshew has missed time with an injury and the Jaguars defense is the second worst in the league.