NFL Playoff Picture: Titans Will Sneak into 2nd Round of Postseason

While it may not look great right now, it doesn't take much imagination to see that the Titans are in good position to get to the playoffs. Once there, they will win a game before the season ultimately meets its end. 

Two things need to happen for the Titans to get in. Tennessee must win, and the Bengals must lose. After that, it gets a little trickier. 

If the Jets win, then either the Broncos or Raiders must lose or tie. If the Jets lose, both teams must win. But considering the matchups those teams are all in, the scenario is right for the Titans to get in. 

The Bengals are hosting the Ravens, who must emerge victorious to avoid being a Wild Card team. They don't want to play on the road in the playoffs, so the Ravens will be going all out.

The Broncos and Raiders are both in road games against a team they have already beaten. Chances of each of them winning are good. 

And then you have the struggling Jets. This team is learning a hard lesson about what happens when you rely on Mark Sanchez's arm. The Dolphins have a run defense that will take away the Jets' rushing attack, forcing Mark Sanchez to win with his arm. That's not going to happen. 

Which brings us to the Titans. They face the Texans. Houston is one of the only teams to have a specific playoff spot clinched. They are in the playoffs, and will be the No. 3 seed. 

They are also beaten up beyond all possible belief. So, if they have any sense at all, they will not be playing their top guns for long, if at all. 

Even if they do, remember that this is a team coming off of consecutive losses to the Panthers and Colts. Hardly playoff teams. 

The Titans are playing for their playoff lives, while the Texans are literally playing for nothing. Advantage Titans. 

That would put the Titans into the postseason. But who would the play once there?

The Texans. That's right, as the No. 3 seed, the Texans will host whatever team lands the No. 6 spot. 

Now we're looking at a team that will be trying to win, but lacking the healthy personnel. Andre Johnson has been hurt all year. T.J. Yates is the starting quarterback. An unproven quarterback without his best receiver is not the best recipe to score points. 

That's why this team has struggled so much to score points in the second half of the season. Their defense keeps them in games, but their offense has not scored enough to consistently win since Matt Schaub went down. 

That's going to bite them in the playoffs. 

Now, once the Titans get to the second round, they will be staring at a date with the Patriots or Steelers. That's not going to go as well. They wouldn't keep up with New England, and wouldn't score on Pittsburgh. 

But just because the Titans are technically the No. 8 seed now doesn't mean their immediate future isn't good. As a matter of fact, it's quite positive.

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