Where Tennessee Titans stand and what's next in AFC South

The Tennessee Titans have a tall task to get back into the AFC playoff picture.

Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay didn’t help the Titans (3-6) in the AFC South, but it didn’t hurt them, either. Division leader Jacksonville (6-3) was blasted by San Francisco on Sunday at home.

The Titans' trip to Jacksonville next week brings added importance should they have legitimate aspirations to make a run. A loss pushes Tennessee back to a four-game deficit with seven games to play. A win would bring the Titans to within two games of the division lead with a home game against the Jags and three other divisional games in the final two months of the regular season.

A reminder, though: Tennessee was 6-3 after 10 weeks last season, with Jacksonville at 3-7 and in third place in the AFC South. While the Titans fell apart in December and January, the Jaguars won the necessary games (including a series sweep of Tennessee) to win the division.

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And don't forget the Texans and star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who won at Cincinnati on Sunday to move to 5-4.

Let's take a look at the AFC South through Week 10:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Record: 6-3

Sunday’s result: 34-3 loss vs. San Francisco

Remaining schedule: Tennessee, at Houston, Cincinnati, at Cleveland, Baltimore, at Tampa Bay, Carolina, at Tennessee

What to know: A December stretch of Bengals, Browns and Ravens will be vital. Sunday’s loss ended a five-game winning streak. Trevor Lawrence hasn’t broken 300 passing yards and running back Travis Etienne has not rushed for more than 100 yards since Oct. 8.

Houston Texans

Record: 5-4

Sunday’s result: 30-27 win at Cincinnati

Remaining schedule: Arizona, Jacksonville, Denver, at NY Jets, at Tennessee, Cleveland, Tennessee, at Indianapolis

What to know: MVP contender or not, Stroud shook off a subpar performance at Carolina on Oct. 29 to put up 30-plus points in wins against Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Houston’s three-game homestand will either prop the Texans’ playoff chances up or sink them.

Indianapolis Colts

Record: 5-5

Sunday’s result: 10-6 win vs. New England in Germany

Remaining schedule: BYE, Tampa Bay, at Tennessee, at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Houston

What to know: Without Anthony Richardson, the Colts are 3-4 but have picked up wins against New England and Carolina in the past two weeks. Four winnable home games remain.

Tennessee Titans

Record: 3-6

Sunday’s result: 20-6 loss at Tampa Bay

Remaining schedule: at Jacksonville, Carolina, Indianapolis, at Miami, Houston, Seattle, at Houston, Jacksonville

What to know: Derrick Henry’s performance is often a good barometer of the Titans’ chances to win. If they won, Henry had a big workload and some success on the ground. If they lost, Henry was often struggling to find holes, through little fault of his own. The Titans, who are on a six-game losing streak away from Nashville, need Henry and the run game to help rookie QB Will Levis.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: AFC South picture: Not a lot of wriggle room left for Tennessee Titans