The Titans’ upset win over the Texans on Sunday has them at 3-8 and 3.5 games out of first place in the AFC South, which head coach Brian Callahan says is enough to keep them alive in the playoff race.
“We’re not dead yet,” Callahan told reporters today.
The Titans could still finish with a winning record at 9-8, if they were to run the table.
“Still six weeks to play. A lot of things out there to play for still, and we have to find a way to win more games,” Callahan said.
Callahan said the Titans’ offense and much-maligned quarterback Will Levis are showing progress.
“We’ve played some really stout, difficult schemes over the last handful of weeks, really good players, and I think we’ve done a lot of positive things,” Callahan said. “We haven’t won enough of those games, but the growth of the offense against those schemes and those good players, has been positive. That’s where I take some of my positivity and optimism from, is that we have played good stretches of football against good defenses and that’s a good thing for us.”
Four of the Titans’ six remaining games are against teams with losing records, so there are some winnable games down the stretch. Winning all six of their remaining games is an extreme long shot, but Callahan believes his team is going to make some noise for the rest of the season.
The long wait for Marshon Lattimore to get on the field for the Commanders may be coming to an end.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters at a press conference that Lattimore will take part in practice with the team on Wednesday. That will mark the first time he has been a participant in practice since being acquired in a trade with the Saints early this month.
Lattimore has a hamstring injury that also sidelined him for his final game in New Orleans. Quinn stopped short of saying that he’ll be in the lineup against the Titans on Sunday,
“We’re pumped to get him back on the field,” Quinn said, via JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports. “It’s hard to predict.”
The Commanders have lost three straight games and anything Lattimore can do to help them right the ship will be a welcome addition to the mix.
The Commanders have made a few roster moves on Tuesday.
Washington placed kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve. He has been dealing with a right hip injury, missing a couple of games. He was then limited last week on Wednesday and Thursday before missing a field goal and two extra points in Sunday’s loss to Dallas.
Zane Gonzalez remains on the team’s practice squad. In two games, he made 3-of-3 field goals — all from 40-49 yards — and 3-of-3 extra points.
As a corresponding move, Washington re-signed running back Chris Rodriguez after waiving him late last week. Rodriguez has rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries so far this season.
Additionally, the team has signed defensive tackle Viliami Fehoko Jr. to the practice squad and released guard Marquis Hayes from the practice squad.
The Commanders lost their third straight game on Sunday and their bid to stop the losing streak in Week 13 may be hampered by injuries in their offensive backfield.
Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler both suffered injuries in the 34-26 loss to the Cowboys. Ekeler is in the concussion protocol and Robinson suffered an ankle injury early in the game.
Robinson was able to return, but only played 12 snaps over the course of the afternoon. He had five carries for 13 yards and one catch for 11 yards.
On Monday, head coach Dan Quinn said that the team will evaluate Robinson’s ankle throughout the week before making any call about his status for their home game against the Titans.
Jeremy McNichols is the only other running back on the 53-man roster in Washington.
Sunday’s win over the Texans was Tennessee’s first since quarterback Will Levis returned from a right shoulder injury and it continued a run of improved play for the second-year player.
Levis was 18-of-24 for 274 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the 32-27 win and he’s thrown for 748 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in the last three weeks. On Monday, head coach Brian Callahan was asked about that kind of performance will make Levis the long-term answer at the position.
“I hesitate to make any proclamations or anything like that,” Callahan said, via the team’s website. “But I’ve just been really happy with the way Will has progressed. He’s played winning football from that position, really over the last three weeks, and I’d like to see it continue.”
Callahan added that he thinks there’s “another level” that Levis can reach when it comes to making quicker decisions and that the team will work to “unlock” them as they move deeper into the season.
