Paul Kuharsky, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Tracing the Titans' route to the No. 1 pick

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It’s silly to say the Tennessee Titans have the first pick in the NFL draft as of today. Tennessee has played one more game than the other contenders, so they have the lead.

Two other two-win teams still have to play this weekend, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

Terry McCormick of 247 Sports runs through all the scenarios and says the Raiders can’t get the top pick if they tie for the worst record in the league.

Strength of schedule is the tiebreaker. The team that played the weaker schedule gets the higher pick at the top of the first round.

So for the Titans to land the No. 1 pick, they need to lose against Indianapolis next Sunday. Presuming Tampa Bay loses its final two games -- at home against Green Bay and New Orleans -- the Titans to need lose ground in strength of schedule.

Titans fans who want their team to draft No. 1 need teams the Titans have played to lose and teams the Bucs have played to win.

But some games involving those teams are a bit more complicated than others.

Here’s McCormick’s rundown of those games on the rest of the Week 16 schedule.

Eagles at Redskins: Titans fans should pull for the Redskins, having played both teams, with the Bucs having played only the Skins.

Browns at Panthers: Titans need the Panthers to come out on top in this one, as both have played the Browns, but the Bucs face Carolina twice a year.

Ravens at Texans: Pull for the Ravens, Titans fans. A loss by division rival Houston counts double.

Vikings at Dolphins: Vikings. Minnesota was on Tampa Bay's schedule this season, but neither the Titans nor Bucs faced the Dolphins.

Chiefs at Steelers: Another key game. The Titans played both teams; the Bucs only played Pittsburgh. A loss from KC helps Tennessee.

Colts at Cowboys: The Titans benefit more by having the Cowboys win, adding two Indy losses to their strength of schedule.

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