As Week 18 and the end of the 2023 regular season beckon, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts all have paths to the AFC South title.
Once perennial division heavyweights and playoff contenders, the Tennessee Titans are the only AFC South squad eliminated from postseason contention.
With a record of 5-11, the Titans’ main discussions focus on draft position rather than playoff positioning.
Mike Vrabel, a proven winner, emphasized on Tuesday the difficulty of enduring a losing season, marking an exhausting campaign for him.
“Losing is awful,” Vrabel stated with emphasis.
The coach, who has two division titles and three Super Bowl victories as a player under his belt, elaborated after a brief pause.
“It f—— sucks — losing,” he said, having gone from a rather downtrodden manner to an impassioned one. “Awful. That’s why I want to win [on Sunday]. Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players that bust their tail, that’s it. It’s not about, ‘We’ll go into the offseason with a good note.’ Nobody knows what you did on Jan. 7th or 8th or 6th in April when you come back. But, you want to see it just all come together. Just put four quarters together, win a game.”
Vrabel, who promptly apologized for his language, is currently navigating through the toughest season in his six-year coaching career that started with four successful campaigns.
The Titans are on a four-game losing streak and are looking at a offseason filled with changes.
Vrabel wasn’t ready to talk about that yet, though. He was focused on Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars and one last chance this season to put it all together for a victory.
Thus, when he was asked if rookie quarterback Will Levis had shown enough to be tabbed as the team’s future starter, he declined to opine.
“He said, “I’m not prepared to discuss our future or anything else apart from what’s going on this week with Jacksonville. I believe we’ll have those conversations when the time is right. My main focus right now is for us to end on a strong note.”
Sunday could also stand as the final game in a Titans uniform for running back Derrick Henry, who just posted his fifth career 1,000-yard season with the club. Henry, 29, perhaps the face of the franchise during Vrabel’s tenure, is an impending free agent.
When questioned about having time for sentimental thoughts about the predicament, Vrabel denied it. He said even those would have to wait.
“He said, “No. I believe we’ll have the opportunity to sort through some of these issues once the season is over. We’re all disappointed and frustrated with how this year has unfolded, but our focus is on ensuring we conclude in a professional and dignified manner. We’re striving to provide our players with the best possible conditions to win. Additionally, many players are still pursuing personal achievements, and I fully support that. We’ve always maintained that personal success among our players contributes to the overall success of the team. These two elements need to coexist, and I hope they do, at least for one more week.”
