The Titans' season will come down to Week 17 when they face the Jaguars on Sunday. If the Titans win, they'll earn their first postseason trip since 2008. If they lose, they'll have squandered an 8-4 start by dropping their final four games.
On Tuesday, both good and bad news pertaining to Titans starting running back DeMarco Murray arrived.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Murray suffered a third-degree MCL tear. That's the bad news. The good news is that Schefter added that Murray believes he can play through the injury.
Schefter's report matches what Titans coach Mike Mularkey said earlier on Tuesday, when he told reporters that Murray is day-to-day and refused to rule him out for Sunday.
"He hurt his knee, but I am not going to rule him out just yet, knowing DeMarco, based on some of the other things he's had happen to him and how quickly he responds to treatment," Mularkey said, per the team's website. "So I'd say he is day-to-day right now, and just hope for the best. Maybe in a limited role. We don't know yet."
Along with the rest of the Titans' offense, Murray has struggled this season, rushing for 659 yards and six touchdowns and averaging 3.6 yards per attempt one year after he totaled 1,287 rushing yards (4.4 YPC) and nine touchdowns. Still, he's somehow managed to hang on to his starting job over the younger Derrick Henry, who has rushed for 693 yards and five touchdowns. Henry is averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. So even if Murray is limited on Sunday, the Titans should be in OK hands with Henry as their go-to back.
The Jaguars' defense is arguably the best in football -- they did, however, drop to second in DVOA after a dismal outing against the 49ers -- but they're susceptible against the run. They've allowed 116.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 21st, and 4.5 yards per carry, which ranks 29th. Considering just how much the Titans' passing game has struggled this year and the strength of the Jaguars' defense (rushing the passer), the Titans might want to lean on their ground game in Week 17.
The Jaguars aren't planning on resting their starters even though Week 17 is meaningless for them, so the Titans will not be getting a free win against a bunch of backups. That's probably even worse news than Murray's injury.