Titans, Colts: Who Has the More Favorable Remaining Schedule?

Tied atop the AFC South with four games remaining, they face different challenges over what's left of the regular season.

The AFC South has been a two-horse race for most of the 2020 NFL season, and the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts have reached the quarter pole side by side.

With four games remaining they are tied for first place at 8-4 and have split their season series. The South is the only AFC division, one of three in the NFL (the NFC East and West also are deadlocked), without a clear leader through 12 games.

A photo finish at this moment would show the Titans in front by a whisker. They hold the tiebreaker based on better division record (3-1, compared to the Colts’ 2-2). In fact, the vast majority of tiebreaking criteria currently favor Tennessee.

The teams’ respective paths from here to the finish are not the same, though.

The Titans have one home game remaining but face just one opponent with a winning record. Two of the teams that remain on the schedule currently are led by interim coaches.

The Colts still have two home games. They also will face two clubs that have winning records, one of which is their closest pursuer for a wild card spot.

“We’ve got to focus on this week,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “… Making sure that we're playing the game a certain way, that we understand how we have to play it in all three phases.”

The rest of the world not have to focus on this week. Everyone outside of an NFL locker room has the freedom to look ahead to all that awaits the Titans and Colts between now and the end of the regular season. So, that is what we will do.

Here is a week-by-week comparison of both team’s remaining schedule:

WEEK 14

Tennessee: at Jacksonville (1-11)

The Jaguars have lost 11 straight and are on their third starting quarterback (Mike Glennon). The slide started with a 33-30 loss to the Titans in Week 2, a game that was in doubt until the final seconds. Of the 10 losses since, only four have been by seven points or fewer.

Indianapolis: at Las Vegas (7-5)

The Raiders’ pursuit of a playoff berth got a boost with Sunday’s dramatic victory over the Jets, which led New York to fire defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. As a result, Las Vegas comes into the week one game behind Indianapolis, which holds the final AFC wild card spot. That makes this one of this week’s most important matchups.

Advantage – Tennessee

WEEK 15

Tennessee: vs. Detroit (5-7)

The Lions won their first game under interim coach Darrell Bevell, but the fact that they had to make a change means there are issues. A big one is the defense, which allows an average of 395.6 yards per game and is equally inept against the run and pass. Arthur Smith should have a lot of fun putting together a game plan for this one.

Indianapolis: vs. Houston (4-8)

The Texans and Colts just played Sunday, and that one went down to the wire. Down by six, Houston had the ball at the Indianapolis 2 with 1:28 to play when quarterback Deshaun Watson lost a fumble. Under interim coach Romeo Crennel, the Texans are 4-4 and three of the losses were one-score games.

Advantage -- Tennessee

WEEK 16

Tennessee: at Green Bay (9-3)

The Packers rank fifth in the NFL in passing offense, lead the league with 36 touchdown passes, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is among the leading MVP candidates with a 118.5 passer rating and a 9:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. It looks like a terrible matchup for Tennessee’s pass defense, which is ranked 28th with an average of 274.5 yards per game allowed. Green Bay could have a division title locked up by this point (a strong possibility) but likely will be battling for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

Indianapolis: at Pittsburgh (11-1)

The Steelers’ quest for a perfect season ended with an unexpected loss to Washington on Monday, but they remain one of this season’s most formidable clubs. Indianapolis’ last three losses have been to teams that are in the AFC playoff chase. Pittsburgh could have a division title locked up by this point (a strong possibility) but likely will be battling for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

Advantage – Neither

WEEK 17

Tennessee: at Houston (4-8)

The Titans ran their record to 5-0 at the start of the season with a 42-36 overtime thriller against the Texans in the second game after Houston fired coach Bill O’Brien. At that point, it looked as if Tennessee might run away with the division rather than end up in a down-to-the-wire match race. The fact that the Texans will have nothing to lose in this one, particularly with a guy like Watson at quarterback, will make them dangerous in this spot.

Indianapolis: vs. Jacksonville (1-11)

All the talk surrounding Jacksonville at this point will center on whether it has a chance to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft and who will be the head coach that benefits from whatever selection the franchise does make. Players and coaches won’t be thrilled to have to go on the road. On the other hand. the Colts might still have a chance to win the division or at least improve its playoff positioning, either of which will provide plenty of motivation.

Advantage – Indianapolis