Titans Still Favored to Win AFC South After Loss to Browns; Are the Colts a Good Bet to Win the Division?

• The  Tennessee Titans remain the favorite to win the AFC South title
• The Indianapolis Colts have pulled into a tie with the Titans for first place in the division
• The Titans hold the tiebreaker over the Colts because of a better record inside the AFC South

The Indianapolis Colts have pulled into a tie with the Tennessee Titans atop the NFC South standings with four weeks remaining in the NFL season.

Both teams are 8-4 after the Colts beat the Texans 26-20 at Houston on Sunday while the Titans were upset at home by the Cleveland Browns 41-35.

Tennessee currently holds the tiebreaker and is favored to win its first division title since 2008.

AFC South Odds

Odds taken Dec. 6 at FanDuel

The Titans overtook the Colts as favorites last week at -450 when they beat Indianapolis 45-26 on the road. The Colts’ odds lengthened to +330 following the defeat.

Titans Hold Tiebreaker

While the Titans and Colts have the same record and split their two games this season – Indianapolis won 34-17 in Nashville in Week 10 – Tennessee would currently win the tiebreaker because of a better mark inside the division.

The Titans are 3-1 against AFC South opponents while the Colts are 2-2.

The Titans, though, lost some of its margin for error Sunday with the loss to the Browns in a game not nearly as competitive as the score indicated. Tennessee was favored by four points.

Time to regroup #CLEvsTEN pic.twitter.com/fTE8WE19H1

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 6, 2020

Derek Henry had a key fumble in the first quarter for Tennessee and everything seemed to fall apart from there. By halftime, Cleveland was ahead 38-7 and coasted to the victory, though Tennessee got within a touchdown in the final minute.

The Titans allowed Baker Mayfield to throw for a season-high 334 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half.

Meanwhile, the Colts stayed in the thick of the division race with a strong second-half defensive effort at Houston, holding the Texans scoreless over the last two quarters to cover the 3.5-point spread.

Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes, both in the first half as Indianapolis took a 24-20 lead. The Colts then caught a break when Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson fumbled a low snap at the Colts’ 2-yard line with about 90 second left and linebacker Anthony Walker recovered.

wowowowowowow

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/9NwYwRJBoh

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 6, 2020

Down The Stretch

The Titans finish the season at the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11), at home against the Detroit Lions (5-7) and with road games versus the Green Bay Packers (9-3) and Texans (4-8).

Meanwhile, the Colts face a schedule of at the Las Vegas Raiders (7-5), host the Texans, at the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0) and home against the Jaguars.

The Colts have an edge in playing two games at home in Lucas Oil Stadium while the Titans have only one game left at Nissan Stadium.

I do love the sightlines looking out the window of @LucasOilStadium @VisitIndy @Colts pic.twitter.com/MdUO9b91O2

— Jim Hall (@NotThatJimHall) November 28, 2020

However, the Titans play a softer schedule as their opponents have a combined 19-29 record for a winning percentage of .396. The Colts’ opponents are 23-24, a .489 winning percentage.

Close Call

Both the Titans and Colts figure to be favored in three of their last four games. The exceptions will likely be when the Titans play the Packers, and the Colts face the Steelers.

As evidenced by their identical records and the fact they beat each on the road, not a whole lot separates the Titans and Colts.

While holding the tiebreaker gives the Titans an edge, the Colts are still a good value bet at +130.