NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans find themselves in the same situation as a year ago with a playoff berth on the line in their regular-season finale.
They hope to have Derrick Henry healthy enough to make a difference in their must-win game hosted by the Houston Texans. The Titans rested the Pro Bowl running back in a 38-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, when they got some much-needed help as the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New York Jets 16-10, setting up the simplest of playoff scenarios for Tennessee.
“It’s the same as last year,” Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro said. “We win, we’ll get in. It’s a playoff game for us. If you lose, you’re eliminated.”
The Titans (8-7) lost any chance at taking the AFC South and an automatic postseason berth when Houston clinched the division title with a win Saturday at Tampa Bay. Tennessee, minus Henry, led 14-0 against New Orleans (12-3) before the Saints scored 24 straight points to take the lead for good.
Tennessee needed a Pittsburgh loss in the final two games with the Titans needing another victory over an AFC team to edge out the Steelers for the conference’s sixth and final playoff berth. The Titans insisted they didn’t hear about Pittsburgh’s loss until they got into the locker room after their own game.