With a 1 p.m. (EST) kick off, the Tennessee Titans look to keep alive an improbable proposal for a playoff spot Sunday when they host the AFC East champion New England Patriots at LP Field.
The 8-7 Titans have won six straight, but need a win against New England along with losses by Cincinnati, Jacksonville and Denver to reach the playoffs. It seems an unlikely string of events.
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Their chances look slim but the Titans have made the improbable seem routine during their winning streak. They rallied from a 21-0 fourth quarter deficit to beat the Giants, had a game winning 60 yard field goal in a victory at Indy and had three defensive touchdowns to beat Jacksonville.
And they've done it all with Vince Young who ran for a touchdown in overtime to beat Houston three weeks ago, and improved to 8-4 as the starter last Sunday by crafting two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter to give Tennessee a 30-29 win at Buffalo.
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In the AFC though, the very much desired clinching of home field advantage is still up for grabs and the weathered New England Patriots will not be handing out any easy wins on Sunday.
The 11-4 Patriots clinched their fourth straight division title with last Sunday's 24-21 win over the Jaguars. They are the fourth seed entering the final week, but could move up to third with a win over the Titans and a Colts' loss to Miami.
Either way New England would host a first round playoff game and, if successful, play on the road in the second round against one of the two AFC bye teams. Some key players could get some rest against Tennessee but that remains unlikely unless they do gain a strong lead early in the game against a team that won't be cutting any slack either.
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New England's test against Jacksonville last week is proof that they are relentless and willing to win a game like the former NFL Champions that they are. Tom Brady dissected the Jaguars in a quick passing game that hit 11 different receivers gaining 249 yards, but it was the defense that held the Jaguars off and earned a much needed win.
The Patriots are a +3 road dog with a 42½ total. I could see Tom Brady racking up big numbers against the Titans secondary and in the event that they grab a ten or more point early first half lead, I could also see the Patriots defense grinding this one out. I will take the dog on this one and guess that the game goes under while Tom Brady kills the clock and the Titans' season in one swing.
