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The Titans (7-8) can improve their record but risk injury while
gaining no ground in playoff positioning until the Jan. 8
winner-take-all AFC South showdown with the Jacksonville
Jaguars.
Even if the Jaguars beat the Houston Texans to improve to 8-8,
should Tennessee lose Thursday, the division title would still
on the line when the teams meet head-to-head.
"We're at where we're at," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of the
dichotomy of pushing to solve a five-game losing streak even
with the option to rest players Thursday. "We're trying to
figure out what's the most important thing, what's best for the
team, what's best for the player."
Lagging confidence brought by a winless December -- Tennessee's
last victory was Nov. 17 at Green Bay -- and injuries to key
personnel including quarterback Ryan Tannehill (ankle) might be
enough to convince Vrabel to use select starters in a cameo on a
short week.
"Whatever I've got to do," Titans running back Derrick Henry
said on Tuesday after practicing in a limited capacity because
of a hip injury. "Whatever coach needs me to do, I'll be ready
to do."
After listing nearly 40 percent of the active roster on the
injury report last week, Vrabel finds himself in tight quarters
in his own locker room thanks to comments regarding the
commitment of players outside of their supervised work schedule
at team headquarters. Given that backdrop, pulling back on
preparation at this juncture of the season could be a catch-22,
but Vrabel said the team's best interest is the only variable
right now.
"I have a lot of respect for most of these guys that have been
here. My job is to listen, find out what each and every player,
coach is thinking and make a decision in the best interest of
the football team," Vrabel said.
In addition to Henry, the other positive injury news for
Tennessee on Tuesday was the health of the secondary. Cornerback
Kristian Fulton was a limited practice participant after missing
three consecutive games with a groin injury. Safety Amani Hooker
(knee) practiced for the first time in three weeks but was also
limited.
Vrabel said Tannehill is "disappointed he can't help us right
now" but praised the team's leaders for their approach to Week
17. The Titans are preparing rookie Malik Willis to start in the
face of profound struggles pushing the ball down the field.
Willis is 31 of 61 for 276 yards with zero touchdowns, three
interceptions and has been sacked 10 times.
Dallas (11-4) is the top wild-card team in the NFC and maintains
the slimmest hope of catching the Philadelphia Eagles in the
East division.
"Honestly, I don't ever really care what they're doing on the
other side," Prescott said. "It's about us just building
momentum and gaining confidence with each game, and moving
forward as we play these last two (games) out and move over into
the postseason."
Even if the Titans opt to roll out their "A" team, recent trends
are not on their side. The Titans are averaging 15.2 points per
game since scoring a season-high 27 points to beat the Packers.
In the same timeframe, the Cowboys scored 223 points (Tennessee
has 269 for the season), an average of 37.2 over a six-game
stretch.
The Cowboys are still trending upward after a 40-34 comeback win
over the Eagles last week, their fifth victory in six games.
While the pass rush has slowed with one quarterback sack in the
past three games, the body of work is daunting: 49 sacks and a
plus-12 turnover margin. The Titans are minus-3.
And Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn't fretting the downturn
in pass-rush production and gave no thought to the idea of
resting key players to match Tennessee's lineup.
"I think the only people that need to be worried about our pass
rush are (the teams) we line up against," he said Tuesday.
The Cowboys can win the NFC East if the Eagles lose their final
two games and Dallas beats the Titans and Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia locks up the division and home-field advantage
throughout conference playoffs with a victory Sunday against the
already-eliminated New Orleans Saints (6-9).
"If [the Titans] wanna roll us the ball a couple times and let
us go from there, I'm all for that," Prescott said. "We'll take
it however they want to do it."
But their own injury concerns could impact both sides of the
ball. Cowboys guard Zack Martin (knee) was a full practice
participant. Running back Tony Pollard (thigh) and linebacker
Leighton Vander Esch (neck) did not practice.
Among limited participants Tuesday were linebacker Micah Parsons
(hand), safety Jayron Kearse (elbow/back) and defensive ends
DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) and Sam Williams (concussion).
--Field Level Media
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