The Tennessee Titans (9-5) squandered an opportunity to re-take the No. 1 seed in the AFC thanks to their 19-13 Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday.
The Titans now sit in the No. 3 seed in the conference behind the New England Patriots (9-5, No. 2) and Kansas City Chiefs (10-4, No. 1).
Tennessee owns the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Chiefs, which means they can jump Kansas City if they finish with the same record.
However, the Pats own the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Titans, so Tennessee will have to finish one game better to surpass New England in the playoff picture.
The Chiefs draw the a home matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, while the Patriots will face the the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough.
Thanks to the Pats’ Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts (8-6), Indy is now one game closer to Tennessee in the AFC South but must finish with a better record thanks to the Titans owning the head-to-head tie-breaker.
The Titans can clinch their division in Week 16 with a win over the San Francisco 49ers and an Indianapolis loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
According to the New York Times, the Titans still have a 97-percent chance to make the playoffs, a 90-percent chance to win the division, and a 13-percent chance to take home a first-round bye via the No. 1 seed.
The Chiefs now have the best chance in the AFC to win the No. 1 seed at 59 percent, followed by the Patriots at 25 percent.
