For the second season in a row, the NFL decided not to schedule the Tennessee Titans a standalone primetime game in 2026. This clearly disgruntled much of the Titans fanbase, as well as NFL fans around the league who want a chance to watch second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
The good news is that the NFL allows themselves to flex games in and out of primetime slots mid-season in order to give fans and their television partners the best matchups possible.
So, depending on how the 2026 season actually goes, it's not impossible that the Titans find themselves playing in front of a national audience after all. Below are four games on the schedule that could have the best chance to be flexed.
Week 10 OR Week 12: Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Nov. 15/Nov. 29)
Big rivalry games are always an option to be flexed into primetime, especially deep into the season. Both of these games are so close together that either one of them could end up being flexed.
Primetime matchups between the Titans and Jaguars have basically become a meme in the NFL community, as they have hilariously become the poster-children for old Thursday Night Football games.
Game-wise, however, this (and every other game on this list) will depend entirely on how the Titans play in 2026, and where they stand at this point in the season. The Jaguars blasted the Titans in two meetings last year, and have beaten them seven of the last eight games the AFC South rivals have played.
Despite this, if the Titans offense and defense become what they hope and they seem like actual playoff contenders, this would become a premier November matchup as the divisional and playoff races heat up.
The elephant in the room between the two coaches in this matchup is also worth noting. New Titans head coach Robert Saleh and Jaguars head coach Liam Coen. The two nearly came to blows last season after a September game between the Jaguars and Saleh's San Francisco 49ers, after Saleh accused the Jaguars of sign-stealing during game week.
The two claim that there is no more bad blood, and have even laughed about the situation. However, the NFL would definitely try to sell a fierce rivalry between both the Titans and the Jaguars, and Saleh and Coen, as well as an exciting quarterback duel between Ward and Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Week 14: Titans @ Detroit Lions
The Lions have been a fun and explosive team with lots of star power and young talent. Their current core has played in plenty of big games and the NFL has not been shy about putting them in stand-alone slots over the past few seasons.
Meanwhile, the Titans have a young and exciting quarterback in Ward, a potential rookie number-one wide receiver in 2026 number-four overall pick in Carnell Tate, and a potentially nasty defense led by Coach Saleh.
The hope in Tennessee is that new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll can help develop Ward and this young Titans offense into an explosive and cohesive unit. If that hope comes true and the Titans are contending for a playoff spot in the wide open AFC, it would certainly be possible for the NFL to see fireworks in this matchup, and put it in front of a national audience.
Week 17: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Titans
Besides the fact that the NFL loves putting the Steelers on national television, there are multiple sneaky storylines in this matchup between old AFC Central rivals.
For starters, Steelers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers announced earlier this month that the 2026 season will be his last. Therefore, there will be plenty of eyes on him and the Steelers this season, especially down the stretch.
This game is also scheduled to be the final game at Nissan Stadium before the opening of the new Nissan Stadium for the 2027 season. While not a super popular NFL stadium, the final game in a stadium that was around for over a quarter of a centrury is always a big deal.
The Steelers are always in playoff contention. If the Titans find themselves in playoff contention by Week 17 and Ward is leading a fun offense, this seems like a logical choice for either the Saturday double header on NBC and Peacock, or Sunday Night Football. Having a passing-of-the-torch game between Rodgers and Ward could bring a lot of eyes.
Week 18: Titans @ Houston Texans
This one may be cheating, because no Week 18 game gets a scheduled day and time until the week before. The NFL wants the biggest and most important games that will round out the playoff picture to get stand-alone slots for the final week of the regular season. So this one entirely depends on where both teams stand at this point in the season.
Led by a nasty defense, the Texans are the favorites to win the AFC South for the third time in four seasons, and quarterback C.J. Stroud, despite being up-and-down since his sensational rookie year in 2023, is a very popular player around the league.
The Titans-Texans rivalry has also seemingly heated back up over the last few seasons, mainly due to the topic of both franchises wanting to claim the history and uniforms of the Houston Oilers. The one thing likely holding it back in the eyes of the league, however, is that both teams haven't been very good at the same time since this issue has blown up.
Lets say the Titans are able to shock the world, and these two teams are playing for playoff positions, or even a division title, in the final week of the regular season. A big time rivalry matchup with historical ties and two young quarterbacks with big personalities would have dollar signs appearing in NFL executives eyes.
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