The Tennessee Titans (8-6) were favored to defeat the division rival Houston Texans (9-5) on Sunday, but instead fell 24-21 at home in Nissan Stadium.
Now, the Titans face a difficult road to the playoffs with the New Orleans Saints and a road meeting with the Texans still remaining on the schedule.
Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. WR A.J. Brown continues to deliver strong performances.
The Titans couldn’t ask for more from their No. 51 overall draft pick.
The rookie has been impressive all year as the team’s No. 1 receiver, and that continued into Sunday.
He kept the chains moving on offense, reeling in eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, with an average of 14.1 yards per catch.
2. Division games are tough games for Tennessee.
The Titans have struggled with division contests in recent history, though they’ve had a stroke of luck lately.
Tennessee has posted a dominant 42-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts within the past four weeks, but there’s no denying Sunday’s game against the Texans was the same, gritty matchup fans are so used to seeing when the Titans face a division opponent.
Whether or not they’re able to top Houston on the road at the end of the season could play a major role in the Titans’ chances of making it into the postseason.
3. This one isn’t on QB Ryan Tannehill.
When things go awry, it’s easy to place blame on the man under center.
But the blame can hardly be placed on Tannehill. He threw just one interception, and delivered far more passes that were dropped or resulted in incompletions for reasons beyond his control.
Tannehill was also the first to put the Titans on the board with a rushing touchdown of his own in the third quarter.
He finished the day, 22-of-36 passing for 279 yards with two passing touchdowns and the lone interception.
4. K Ryan Succop still isn’t himself.
Succop just hasn’t been the same since returning from injury this season.
The placekicker has made just one of his six field goal attempts since being back on the football field, and his missed, low kick on Sunday could have made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.
5. The road to the playoffs just got rougher.
The Titans are very much still in postseason contention, but it’s going to be no easy road for the team to see a game beyond the regular season.
Here’s a look at all the ways the Titans could make it into the playoffs.
