The Titans lost their fifth straight game on Saturday to set up a bit of conundrum for head coach Mike Vrabel for Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.
Neither the outcome of that game nor the outcome of the Jaguars’ game against the Texans next Sunday has any bearing on who will win the AFC South. The winner of Week 18’s game between the Jaguars and Titans will win the division regardless of what happens in Week 17.
After Saturday’s loss, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about resting players this week in order to have the team in the best possible shape for their win-and-in finale.
“We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of football for us that are far less than 100 percent,” Vrabel said, via Nick Suss of the Tennessean. “It’s those guys that I appreciate that no matter what find a way to be here for this team. We’ll try to figure out who we have and who’s available and then make some decisions.”
Safety Kevin Byard offered a negative view of resting players for Week 18. He said “we’ve got to find a way to win” after five straight losses and added he is “going to bust my behind for this team every play like I always do every game and I think everybody should treat it that way.”
The coming days will bring some answers about how the Titans handle things against the Cowboys.