Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel high fives players during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium. Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports

Titans seem to be treating Thursday's game like a preseason game

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 12/29/22

The Tennessee Titans' game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night is, for all intents and purposes, meaningless to them.

Head coach Mike Vrabel seems to be aware of that fact and is handling his lineup decisions with all of that in mind. In fact, he seems to be treating the game like a glorified preseason game.

On Wednesday, the Titans (7-8) ruled out eight players, including starters Jeffery Simmons, Amani Hooker, Bud Dupree, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Zach Cunningham, while a small handful of players were listed as doubtful. One of them is star running back Derrick Henry.

#Titans star RB Derrick Henry (hip) isn’t expected to play tonight, and the status of #Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) is very much in doubt, too. Hassan Haskins vs. Ezekiel Elliott on TNF to kick off fantasy football championship week? @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/duNSWmnRaX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 29, 2022

This is probably the smartest approach for the Titans because the game has zero meaning to them.

A win does not help them, a loss does not hurt them, and no matter what they do against the Cowboys their entire season will come down to their Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8). The winner of that game will win the AFC South and host a playoff game. The loser, no matter what they do this week, is out.

So why risk additional injury (or any injury) for a game that does not matter when you have everything to play for the next week? The only thing the Titans have to play for is ending a five-game losing streak that has put a significant dent in their playoff chances. But that will mean nothing if they lose next week.

This is also a different approach from what the Jaguars are doing in their Week 17 game against the Houston Texans (which is also meaningless). Head coach Doug Pederson has said he does not intend to rest players.

More must-reads: