Tennessee Titans: 5 Adjustments That Must Be Made to Clinch a Postseason Berth

As the Tennessee Titans enter Week 13 of the NFL regular season, they have an opportunity to solidify themselves as perennial playoff contenders.

Tennessee's up-and-down season has provided a sense of unease throughout the Music City as they currently sit 2.5 games behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South divisional race and just one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card race.

Ahead are five adjustments the Titans must make if they expect to clinch a playoff berth.

1. Protect Matt Hasselbeck

Through the first four games of the NFL regular season, Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was virtually untouchable.

After back-to-back tilts with top-tier teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans, Hasselbeck was left battered and bruised. He suffered an injured thumb that required rookie Jake Locker to step in for Hasselbeck halfway through the fourth quarter of the Titans' Week 7 loss to the Texans.

The Titans' poor protection didn't stop there, as Hasselbeck re-injured the thumb against the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 9 loss. After a win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10, Hasselbeck was injured yet again in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons, suffering a sprained right elbow.

The veteran quarterback's production has fluctuated, just like the team's win-loss record, in recent weeks because of poor protection and receivers' lack of experience.

If the Titans expect to make the playoffs, all hope rides on the shoulders of No. 8.

2. Get Even Production from C.J.

Similar to the Tennessee Titans' current streak of wins and losses, Chris Johnson's production has been discrepant throughout the 2011 regular season.

Johnson, widely known for rushing for over 2,000 yards in 2009, has rushed for over 50 yards in a game only six times this season.

The player who demanded "playmaker money" had not until recently shown flashes of his former self. In Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson had his best performance of the year to date, rushing 14 times for 64 yards and looking simply electric. He followed that with a monster 130-yard game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.

CJ2K went right back to being nonproductive in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons, rushing 12 times for 13 yards.

Back at home against a porous Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, Johnson rushed for a season-high 190 yards on 23 carries, making decisive cuts and keeping his team in the game with clutch first-down runs.

Tennessee must be able to rely on Johnson and the run game as it treks down the stretch.

3. Stop the Run

After holding three of their first four opponents under 100 yards rushing, the Tennessee Titans fell apart at the seams against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, allowing 172 yards rushing.

Since that fatal Week 5 matchup, where they got physically handled for the first time all season, the Titans have allowed over 100 yards rushing to every team they have faced, including 222 yards to division-rival Houston.

Linebacker Barrett Ruud has struggled with numerous injuries, and his poor tackling in the middle forced head coach Mike Munchak to start rookie Colin McCarthy.

McCarthy seems to be the answer, as he shut down the rookie phenom Cam Newton in Carolina and power runner LeGarrette Blount from Tampa Bay.

Tennessee has a difficult road down the stretch as they face some of the top backs in the league, so a focus on fixing the run defense is a must.

4. Win Conference Games

The Tennessee Titans are making their playoff push now, and they need every win they can get.

The toughest scenario for Tennessee is going to be to catch the Houston Texans for the AFC South divisional crown. For that to happen, Tennessee would need to go 4-1 down the stretch, with help from Houston as well.

The more likely scenario is where the Titans would be competing for an AFC Wild Card spot. Tennessee currently sits just one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals for the final AFC Wild Card spot. The Bengals have the first tiebreaker, which is head-to-head results. The Titans would need to have a better record than the Bengals and a record equal to the New York Jets or Denver Broncos to make the playoffs as the final Wild Card team.

Tennessee has games left against the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans to bolster its in-conference record. The Bengals still have games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens for their games in conference.

ESPN's Paul Kuharsky explains every scenario here for those interested.

Regardless of what happens outside of Tennessee's schedule, they must take care of business in order to even be in the conversation.

5. Get on a Win Streak

After losing their first game, the Tennessee Titans rolled off three straight wins, before losing two straight to pull even at 3-3.

Since then, the Titans have started a "win one, lose one" trend that has yet to end. In order to even be in the playoff conversation Tennessee must win at least four of its last five games, including three straight games to end the season.

If the Titans can get Chris Johnson running, Matt Hasselbeck upright and the defense to stop the run, this team could be something scary heading into January.