With it being the last week of the regular season in the NFL, week 17, there aren’t too many big things going on. The playoffs are pretty much set and teams who aren’t in the running for a playoff spot don’t really have much to fight for except their dignity. With that being said, here’s a recap of some important things that went down:

Titans Earn a Spot In the Playoffs:

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in a make-or-break game for the Titans’ season.

If the Titans would have lost, they would be watching the playoffs from their couch. However, thanks to a horrible performance by the Jaguars’ offense, the Titans live to see another day.

The Jaguars offense was held to just one touchdown and one field goal, making their final score a disappointing 10 points. During their 26 minutes and 33 seconds worth of offense, the Jaguars somehow managed to lose two of four fumbles and throw two interceptions which shows how inefficiently their offense was playing. With Jacksonville’s quarterback Blake Bortles only completing a little under half of his passes and their star rookie running back Leonard Fournette only running for 69 yards on 19 carries, the Jaguar offense just couldn’t get things rolling.

What’s funny in my eyes is that the Titans’ offense really didn’t do much better; they just managed to do “less-horrible” than the Jaguars. The Titan defense is what pushed Tennessee over the top to get the win.

Free safety Kevin Byard helped out tremendously by racking up two interceptions and was a part of a total of six tackles. Titans’ linebacker Avery Williamson played a big role in the defense as well; he made five tackles and assisted in six other tackles.

In all honesty, I don’t believe the Titans are really a threat in the playoffs. I truly am a fan of the team that they’ve built, but they just don’t have what it takes to defeat the competition that is to come. I really hope that I’m wrong in saying that, but as of now I don’t believe there’s any hope for the Titans of Tennessee.

Playoff Picture/Wildcard Games:

The wildcard games of the playoffs are set! Here’s how it’s looking:

AFC:

1. Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills

• I predict that the Chiefs will defeat the Titans by about 10 points with a final score of 13-23 and that the Jaguars will defeat the Bills by at least two touchdowns with a final score of 31-17.

NFC:

1. Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
2. Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons

• I predict that the Saints will defeat the Panthers by less than 10 points with a final score of 20-14 and that the Rams will defeat the Falcons by at least 10 points with a final score of 24-10.

Jon Gruden Is Back as the Head Coach of the Raiders:

Former head coach Jon Gruden is back in the game!

The Oakland Raiders are preparing to sign Gruden to a 10-year 100 million dollar contract which is believed to be the richest coaching contract in NFL history. Gruden has previously spent time as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and even won Super Bowl XXXVII with Tampa Bay (ironically against the Raiders) back in the 2002-2003 season.

Since Gruden stopped coaching for a while, he has spent nine NFL seasons as a color commentator for the ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts.

I personally believe that Gruden is exactly what Oakland needs to be that lethal team that they were supposed to be this season. The Raiders have all the pieces they need to be successful along with a top ten pick in this year’s draft where they will most likely be looking to draft an inside linebacker or offensive lineman. I am a fan of Gruden and I am a fan of the team Oakland has so I’m excited to see where this thing goes.