Titans reasons for optimism and concern vs. Raiders in Week 14

There are reasons for both optimism and concern for the Tennessee Titans going into the Week 14 matchup with the Oakland Raiders.

The Week 14 game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum between the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders pits two teams vying for an AFC playoff spot against one another.

What else do these teams have in common? They’re both sitting on the outside looking in.

The Titans currently sit in the No. 7 spot in the conference, but were able to jump up two spots last week after beating the Indianapolis Colts. One of the other reasons they were able to do that was because the Raiders lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tennessee also has a shot at its division, sitting just one game behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South. As it stands now, the Titans control their own destiny in that regard with two games remaining against the Texans.

Meanwhile, the Raiders blew their opportunity to take first place in the AFC West with a loss to the Chiefs. Oakland now sits two games behind Kansas City in the division, but it’s really three when you consider that KC has beaten Oakland in both head-to-head matchups.

That leaves Oakland’s best chance at making the playoffs through the wild card, and Tennessee is standing in their way. As is the case with most games this late in the season, this is a must-win situation for both squads.

Now on to the reasons for optimism and concern for the Titans in Week 14.