NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It has come down to this for the Tennessee Titans — win and in. Lose and likely stay home from the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.
The game is important to the Titans’ organization for sure in that a victory Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars would show that the rebuilding process that began in 2016 under general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Mularkey is taking the next step by making the postseason.
On the other hand, though, a loss, which would be four straight to close the season after an 8-4 record, would be a severe blow to the program.
At the very least, it would put Mularkey and his staff on notice that 2018 is make or break in reaching the playoffs. It might also cause staff changes to be made, and might even put Mularkey himself in the crosshairs, depending upon what controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and Robinson think about the progress and whether or not things have stagnated.
To be sure, Mularkey, who would be entering the final year of a three-year contract in 2018, has improved the culture around the team and its approach. When he was interim coach cleaning up Ken Whisenhunt’s mess in 2015, the Titans were 2-7 on his watch and 3-13 overall. They literally had little place to go but up.
And in the span of one season, they tripled their win total to 9-7 and raised expectations for 2017 that anything short of a playoff berth would not be good enough. That they still have significant playoff life heading into Week 17 against the Jaguars after going 0-for-December thus far is remarkable and would allow the team to keep the progress on track.
What Mularkey and the Titans have been up against this season in one sense seems remarkable that they still have playoff hope at all. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has regressed from year two to year three due to injuries that have limited his mobility and affected his passing.
The run game is a shell of last year’s attack, and the play-calling has been spotty at times.
But a playoff-clinching win over the Jaguars would solve a lot that might otherwise be swirling around the Titans these days.
“A win would always make everything better,” Mularkey said when asked about his long-term future on Wednesday.