NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans have all eyes on the Los Angeles Rams this week, but next week's matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars may be a much more important factor in whether they make the playoffs.

The Titans have a 62.2 percent chance to make the playoffs, second-highest among AFC wild-card teams (significantly higher than their top challengers for the final spot, the Bills and Chargers). The Titans have by far the most difficult schedule of these teams, but their odds are so high because of tiebreakers.

Let's break it down:

For Titans fans, three games should be of extreme interest on Sunday. Of course, the Titans' game versus the Rams, but also the Ravens' home contest against the Colts and the Bills' road game against the Patriots.

If each favorite wins that game, which would mean victories for the Rams, Ravens and Patriots, then Week 17's Titans-Jaguars game is a "win and you're in" scenario for Tennessee.

This is because the Titans would have an 8-4 record against AFC opponents, a better record than the other teams that could get to 9-7 (Ravens 7-5, Bills 7-5, Chargers 6-6). If the Ravens finish 10-6, the Titans would be the second wild card. If the Ravens were part of the tie at 9-7, the Titans would be the first wild card.

The Titans' AFC conference record advantage and head-to-head win over the Ravens put them in strong position when it comes to tiebreakers.

Tennessee would still have to beat Jacksonville at home, but they did beat them on the road, 37-16, in Week 2, plus scheduling could make that matchup a lot easier than expected.

The NFL will choose to flex a Week 17 game to Sunday night and could flex other games between early afternoon and mid-afternoon slots following Week 16's important results.

As of Friday, Jags-Titans and Panthers-Falcons are the only two games where both teams are likely to have significant playoff implications. Both are currently scheduled as early afternoon games and seem like prime candidates to be flexed. Cowboys-Eagles could also enter the discussion if Dallas is still alive and Philadelphia hasn't yet clinched home-field advantage.

Jacksonville has already clinched a playoff berth and can clinch the AFC South with a win over the 49ers or a Titans loss to the Rams. That Week 17 game could be relatively meaningless for the Jaguars if they can't clinch a first-round bye. The Jags are currently one game behind the Patriots and Steelers for a first-round bye. They can't catch them unless one loses.

That's where game time comes in. If Jaguars-Titans is flexed to the afternoon or late game, the Jaguars could know the result of the Steelers' and Patriots' early afternoon games before kickoff. Those teams' games could also be flexed too to circumvent that, but if not, the result of the early games could impact whether the Jags play starters or backups.

The NFL typically tries to avoid scheduling games that give teams a significant benefit over another due to timing, so that could win out over the most appealing game for playoff purposes. But if it doesn't, the Titans could catch a huge break against the Jaguars' backups.

Either way, Week 17 Titans-Jaguars has a good chance of deciding whether Tennessee makes the playoffs regardless of what happens in Week 16 versus the Rams.