The Titans
Broncos at Tennessee Titans, 11 a.m. Sunday, KCNC-4 For the record: The Titans (6-6) are coming off a bye week. While they were idle they moved into a tie atop the AFC South as the Houston Texans lost a third consecutive game. Who's hot: DeMarco Murray. The sixth-year running back, in his first season with the Titans after stops in Dallas and Philadelphia, appears to be worth the fouryear, $25 million contract he signed in the off-season. His 1,043 rushing yards are secondbest in the NFL behind only Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (1,285). Who's not: Titans’ secondary. The Broncos last week faced the NFL’s No. 2 pass defense, Jacksonville. They may get a reprieve this week. Tennessee’s secondary ranks 26th in the NFL allowing 270.3 yards passing per game. The Bears’ Matt Barkley threw two late touchdown passes two weeks ago to nearly rally Chicago to victory. Key stat: 19-28. The Titans are in a dogfight, if you can call it that, in their division. The AFC South might be the worst division in the NFL. The South teams are a combined nine games below .500, with a minus-158 point differential. Technically, the Texans (6-6) are in first place because they beat the Titans in Week 4 so they own the tiebreaker. For now. The teams play again on New Year’s Day. FYI: Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota struggled through the first month of the season, with four touchdown passes and five interceptions. But since Week 5 he has thrown 21 TDs against just three interceptions. Against the Broncos: It is unlikely two teams from the AFC South will qualify for the playoffs, leaving the Titans and Texans in a win-or-go-home situation in their division. But a win over Denver would help the Titans in a longshot bid for a wild-card spot. Denver (8-4) currently sits in the sixth and final spot in the AFC playoff field. They said it: “We’re not satisfied with just being able to play meaningful games. We have to make them count. It doesn’t do us any good if we play meaningful games and lose them. We need to make sure we take care of business.” Titans defensive lineman Karl Klug , on his team’s playoff chase