A pretty good breakdown of the race for first pick

There is really only one thing left for Tennessee Titans fans to be interested in for the 2014 season. What will it take for the Titans to claim the first overall pick in the 2015 draft?After losing a clean sweep to fellow bottom-feeders the Giants, Jets and Jaguars, the Titans sit at 2-13 and are certainly worthy of having the first pick in the draft.But it won't be that easy to accomplish.Two other teams still have just two victories this season – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders – so it will come down to the strength of schedule tiebreaker even if all three lose out and finish at 2-14.For the Raiders, getting the first pick overall is a stretch because their strength of schedule far outweighs the other two due to playing in the AFC West, where the three other teams are all over .500. The only way the Raiders can get the first pick is if the Bucs and Titans each win a game, because 14 of Oakland's 16 opponents this year currently have a .500 record or better. Their crossover division was the NFC West.The Bucs are at a decided advantage playing in the weak-sister NFC South where seven wins might earn a playoff spot. When you factor in that division games count double in strength of schedule, it makes it a tough road for the Titans to overtake the Bucs. But it can be done.Thursday night's disaster in Jacksonville dropped the Titans to 2-13 overall, but it also dropped their opponent's strength of schedule to .483 for the season.But they are still chasing the Bucs, who enter the weekend with a paltry .467 opponent's win percentage, though that will take a hit if they lose as expected to the Packers, who would improve to 11-4 with a win on Sunday.So, if you're keeping track of what teams to root for and what teams to root against in trying to see how the Titans can pick first overall, we're here to help.The Titans need teams that they have already played this season to lose as much as possible over the final two weeks. They would also benefit by Bucs opponents who pick up wins in the final two games.So, the Titans need their fellow AFC South teams – Colts, Texans, Jaguars – to lose whenever possible. In the NFC, the Titans played against the East, meaning they need the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants to lose.What about the Redskins? Glad you asked. The Bucs and Titans both played the Redskins this year, so any game involving Washington is a wash. The same thing goes for the AFC North teams – Steelers, Ravens, Bengals and Browns – as both teams faced those squads, though if those teams play one of the team's uncommon opponents, as is the case this week, the Titans or Bucs can still benefit depending upon the result.For instance, Titans benefit from the Steelers beating the Chiefs, because they played both squads this year, while the Bucs played only Pittsburgh. Same thing for the Browns-Panthers, where the Titans need Carolina to come out on top to tighten the race.On the Bucs' side, Titans fans would need to root for the NFC North teams – Packers, Lions, Vikings, Bears – to win because Tampa Bay has all of them on its schedule. Same thing with the Bucs division rivals – Saints, Falcons and Panthers.As for the other uncommon opponents on the schedule, the Titans need the Chiefs and Jets to lose games in the final two weeks and the Rams to win.So some games this weekend, become a wash, while others help the Titans in varying ways. For instance – Colts and Cowboys will provide a win and a loss for the Titans, but Tennessee is helped more by a Dallas victory because the Titans and Colts play twice a year and that would be two losses on the Titans' strength of schedule if Indy loses, rather than one if Dallas loses.As for their own remaining games, the Titans have only a home game with Indianapolis. The Bucs, after facing the Packers, close the season with the Saints.It's a complicated process, but the race isn't over yet – unless the Titans or Bucs pull off an improbable win in one of their final games.Games this week that will impact the first pickEagles 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: Skol Vikings. Minnesota was on Tampa Bay's schedule this season, but neither the Titans nor Bucs faced the Dolphins.Falcons at Saints: A wash since the Bucs play both teams twice.Patriots at Jets: Pull for the Pats, Titans fans. A loss by the Jets weakens the strength of schedule.Chiefs at Steelers: Another key game. The Titans played both teams, the Bucs only played Pittsburgh. A loss from KC helps Tennessee.Packers at Bucs: If Tampa Bay pulls a miracle and wins, the first pick virtually belongs to the Titans. But a Packers win isn't a bad thing, because of their strong record.Giants at Rams: Old pal Jeff Fisher can help his former team's cause by knocking off the Giants. The Bucs and Rams faced off this year, while the Giants were on Tennessee's schedule.Colts at Cowboys: The Titans benefit more by having the Cowboys win, adding two Indy losses to their strength of schedule.