Titans Clinch Playoff Spot

The Tennessee Titans did not need help to make it to the postseason. They got it anyway.

The Titans clinched a playoff berth Sunday prior to kickoff against the Houston Texans when the Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 56-26.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Tennessee was one of five 10-5 teams in contention for the final AFC playoff spot. Of the five, it had the best chance to make the postseason, and there were five different scenarios by which it could be assured of its third postseason berth in four years. A Miami loss was one of them.

“I’m excited because I’m getting the chance (for) another playoff run with my team,” second-year defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said recently before the Titans’ inclusion was official.

The last two times they reached the playoffs (2017, 2019) the Titans needed a victory in Week 17 and some other favorable outcomes in the preceding weeks in order to claim their spot in the field.

This year’s path was much simpler, thanks to a head-to-head victory over Baltimore and a tiebreaker advantage over Indianapolis, based on a better division record. Tennessee could have clinched in Week 16 with a win at Green Bay or with a loss by either Miami or Baltimore, but none of those things happened.

With the first step out of the way, the focus for Sunday’s finale at Houston is to try to win the AFC South and earn the right to host a first-round playoff game. That will happen with a win over the Texans or a Colts loss to Jacksonville.

Tennessee has not finished first in the division since 2008, which is also the last time it played a home game in the postseason.

“We have an idea of what it takes to win at this time of year, playing meaningful games in December and January,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “There has to be a certain level of physicality, the ability to take care of the football and turn it over, the ability to be able to run the football and control the game, things that we believe in.”

The NFL expanded its playoffs this season to include 14 teams, seven from each conference. Only the top seed on each side will receive a first-round bye. Tennessee will play in the wild card round and – at best – will be the conference’s No. 4 seed.

In 2019, the Titans were the final AFC wild card and then reached the conference championship with victories at New England and Baltimore.

“We’ve done some good things this year and [we know] what our goals are,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “We're nowhere near where we want to be for this year. We've put ourselves in position to play meaningful games late in December and into January. … That’s what we want to do, is to play through January into February and win the last game.

“We put ourselves in position to be in contention for that.”

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