Week 16 started out in a way that would have given last week's critics a whole lot of ammunition. When the Tennessee Titans were referred to as a "soft" team in front of head coach Brian Callahan, the head coach responded with a fiery rant.
Yet, even after a quarterback change against the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans came out and found themselves down early -- and big time.
At one point, the Titans were down by a score of 38-7. It was flat-out ugly. But, Tennessee used the last quarter and a half to try and storm back, bringing the game a lot closer than the majority of the afternoon seemed.
Tennessee did, indeed, drop this one, 38-30 and fell to a record of 3-12 on the season. With two games remaining, Tennessee is still technically in contention for the no. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Where exactly do they stand after the Week 16 loss?
Let's check in on the most recent NFL draft order.
Updated 2025 NFL Draft order after Titans' loss to Colts
1. New York Giants (2-13)
2. New England Patriots (3-12)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)
4. Tennessee Titans (3-12)
5. Cleveland Browns (3-12)
6. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)
7. Carolina Panthers (4-11)
8. New York Jets (4-11)
9. Chicago Bears (4-11)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
For fans hoping the Giants would be able to take advantage of the Atlanta Falcons starting rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., think again. The Falcons handled business against the Giants, who stayed one game ahead of the Titans in terms of draft positioning.
Over the final two weeks, Tennessee takes on a pair of AFC South rivals when they travel to take on the Jaguars in Week 17 before finishing the season at home against the Houston Texans. That Week 17 matchup with the Jaguars will certainly have an impact on draft order, and it's safe to say that the majority of fans would rather lose this game and continue toward the best possible draft pick.
For those keeping tabs on the other teams in contention for the top pick, the Giants finish their season hosting the Colts before traveling to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. As we know, the Colts are an unpredictable bunch as evidenced by this season. Maybe, just maybe, the Giants could surprise Indy.
But, in all likelihood, New York will finish the year 2-15.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have an away matchup with the New Orleans Saints before ending the season at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.