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Player who must step up: QB Ryan Tannehill

The Titans were one of the few teams that weren't driven by their quarterback when Derrick Henry was healthy. It's now Tannehill's job to elevate everyone else's game. That can be particularly hard given how Tennessee will be without star wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones for some stretch of time. But Tannehill has to find ways to connect with the remaining pass-catchers, especially in the red zone. Tannehill also is very capable of making plays with his legs inside the 20-yard line. Although a good amount of Tannehill's 13 interceptions isn't directly his fault, he has to find a way to avoid costly turnovers down the stretch and into the playoffs. -- Turron Davenport

Turnovers have become a major problem for the Titans in recent weeks: They give up too many of them, and they don't generate enough for themselves. Tennessee went into its Week 13 bye with nine combined giveaways and zero takeaways in back-to-back losses to the Texans and Patriots. This, as you probably don't need to be made aware, is perhaps the ultimate recipe for doom in professional football. During a six-game win streak that preceded the Titans' shocking loss to Houston, Tennessee's defense forced 11 turnovers. If the Titans are to snap out of their current funk, they'll need an immense clean-up effort in this area of their game.

They come off the bye hoping to get back to playing winning football, which hasn't been the case in a while. The offense has been disjointed without Derrick Henry.

OLB Harold Landry is the first Tennessee player to notch at least 10 sacks since 2016, when Brian Orakpo did it.

Best-case scenario: The remaining schedule doesn't look all that daunting for the Titans. None of their opponents is currently in playoff position, though the Steelers and Dolphins are in the mix with six wins each. If the Titans can avoid another head-scratching loss (see: Jets and Texans) and maintain their division lead over the Colts, things could look a lot better for Tennessee in the playoffs if running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown are both able to return from injured reserve.