NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Derrick Henry turned 30 on Thursday, three days before the Titans' season finale and what could be his last game with the team that drafted him in 2016.

He was named to the AFC's Pro Bowl roster a day early, though he said it was for play he's "not too proud of" this year. Sunday' the Titans will doubtlessly introduce the offense and let a guy who's been as much the face of the franchise as anyone in the team's 25 seasons in Nashville soak in the appreciation of the home crowd.

The game will determine if the Jaguars win the AFC South and if the Titans finish with five wins or six, winless in their division for the first time since they were the Houston Oilers in 1982, a season shortened by a strike that included just four division games. 

Henry is beloved and with good reason.

Derrick Henry on potential for last game with #Titans. pic.twitter.com/tthDNotvcb

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) January 4, 2024

In this week's edition of The Paul Kuharsky Podcast, I discuss if he's the most meaningful Titan ever.

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By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

The 2023 calendar year was not kind to Titans football fans. Tennessee posted a 5-12 record, including the 20-16 heartbreaker in Jacksonville last January.

The team’s shortcomings are well-worn ground at this point. The offensive line is a complete mess, they lack dynamic weapons in the passing game and the defense is completely reliant on a couple of high performers along the defensive front to keep it from being a total disaster.

Rather than continue piling on those narratives or having the Mike Vrabel discussion again, I want to take some time this week to highlight a few Titans who have had strong closes to what will go down as one of the worst seasons this franchise has experienced since moving to Nashville.

OLB Harold Landry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel is typically very level at his press sessions. You can read his mood pretty quickly. He’ll occasionally get exasperated.

But the consistency he seeks from his team and has rarely gotten this year is a press-conference guarantee.

Tuesday, however, he had a moment.

Mike Vrabel: not huge on the whole “losing” thing pic.twitter.com/3cJtsLlaoP

— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) January 2, 2024

The season’s been a disaster, the major problems unfixable without an infusion of new talent that won’t come until free agency and the draft.

Still, he will try to get his team ready for its finale Sunday at Nissan Stadium looking for a first win in the AFC South and a result that can keep the Jaguars from winning the division.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – This was an embarrassing loss for the Titans. Not only a divisional game but a hated rival and a team that is playing a high number of rookies and young players with a rookie head coach.

Despite all those variables, this game proved just how far apart these two teams are.  

One team dealt with injuries and roster changes and the other couldn’t overcome them.

By JAKE DOWNARD

Jake Downard is a law student who creates NFL and NBA content focused on analytics on Twitter as @JakeAndBall. He also works with fanspo.com. A glossary of the analytics terms he uses is at the bottom of the piece.

For a glossary of the metrics and terms used in this post, please see this earlier file.

If you want a perfect microcosm of the 2023 Tennessee Titans, look no further than the Week 17 matchup with the Houston Texans. This one had everything. Will Levis and Ryan Tannehill were pressured on seemingly every drop-back. The offensive line struggled with everyone from Will Anderson Jr. to Teair Tart, giving up six sacks on the day. The Titans were a miserable one for 12 on third downs. The run game was non-existent at times. The red-zone offense was as expected, and the red-zone defense was somehow ironclad. Before we get into the analytics, let’s discuss a few quick positives.  

HOUSTON – The lead character in a 2014 action movie was an assassin who lost the protection of his organization as he sought revenge against the bad guys who killed his dog.

No, the story’s not fully similar to the Titans in their 26-3 loss at NRG Stadium on Sunday, but stick with me here.

When the small contingent of Tennessee media finished a short conversation with backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill and had dropped our cameras, I asked him how he was feeling after absorbing five of the six sacks the Texans recorded, some seemingly in an instant.

“I feel like John Wick at the end of the movie,” he said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Two games left to this thriller of a season, and I can feel your excitement. I know most of you just want to sit back, root for the team to perform well and collect a win that would give the Titans a chance to match last year's 7-10.

Or not.

You sent along some good stuff for the mailbag, and so I did my best to give you some excellent and thought-provoking answers.

Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments or with follow-up questions.

Here's the best of what you sent.

Does Tim Kelly stay as OC next year? If not, who should Vrabel target outside or his staff? #Titans

— Michael Sage (@msagetitan) December 29, 2023

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – There is always something to play for despite your team’s record. For the Titans, this is revenge from two weeks ago and also a chance to beat your owner’s biggest rival.

If the last part doesn’t enter the minds of the players that is OK, but avenging a loss to a team they had beat and outplayed but couldn’t finish off and eventually lost to in overtime should be motivation enough.

The Titans played well enough last week against the Seahawks but couldn’t finish off the game again and eventually lost in the last minutes of the contest.  

The trend of losing close games is not a healthy one, especially for a team under Mike Vrabel that had a reputation for winning close games.