In a wild and crazy season, the biggest remaining tumult is in the AFC South.
Houston leads and takes the division title by beating struggling Jacksonville. A Texans loss, however, gives the winner of the prime-time game between the Colts and Titans in Nashville the crown, dropping Houston into a wild card.
“When you start off 0-3 and you’re sitting here at 10-5 with a chance to win the division on Sunday you’ve done a lot of good things over the course of those games since we were 0-3,” star defensive end J.J. Watt says. “But we have to make sure that we do what we need to do to make sure that doesn’t all go to waste.”
There are two other AFC division crowns to settle, in the North and West, but at least the Chiefs and Chargers already are into the postseason. So while avoiding having to suit up next weekend – and the likelihood of having the conference’s best record – becomes paramount, Kansas City and Los Angeles both have a comfort zone.
Baltimore and Pittsburgh do not. If the Ravens beat Cleveland, they take the North.
If they lose and the Steelers defeat spiraling Cincinnati, Pittsburgh advances.
The winner of the night game in Music City will, well, be making sweet music as a playoff qualifier.
“We’re just blessed to be in this position to be playing for a playoff game, so that’s all the motivation that guys need,” Titans safety Kevin Byard says. “They’ll be motivated, we’ll be motivated. It’ll be a fun game.”
BEARS: Chicago have activated right guard Kyle Long from injured reserve, clearing the way for the three-time Pro Bowl lineman to play in the regular-season finale at Minnesota.
Long has been out since Oct. 28, when he suffered a tendon injury in his right foot against the New York Jets. He had surgery and was placed on IR with an option to return.
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