Titans vs. Chargers 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know

If the Titans can pull off a road upset in San Diego on Sunday, it will mark the latest they’ve been over .500 in a season since 2011. Philip Rivers and a rejuvenated Chargers team stands in their way.

After spending the first quarter of the season experimenting with heartbreaking ways to lose games, San Diego has rebounded with a 2-1 record over its last three games. With wins over division leaders Denver and Atlanta, it’s clear San Diego has the talent to hang with any team in the league. Winning, however, has been another issue altogether.

The Chargers have yet to lose a game this fall by more than eight points. They had held a fourth-quarter lead in all but one of their first five games and still wound up with a 1-4 record. Beating the Titans would be another step forward on the road to respectability, but it may be too little, too late for the playoff hopes of a team stuck in the AFC’s toughest division.

Tennessee doesn’t have that problem. Houston currently leads the AFC South with a 5-3 record, but its -30 point differential suggests the Texans are playing more like a 3-5 team. A win on the West Coast will push the Titans within half a game of the divisional lead and add some legitimacy to their postseason push.

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

TV: CBS

Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Dan Fouts, and Scott Kaplan

Online: Sunday Ticket

1. With zero victories against teams with winning records, Tennessee’s 4-4 mark may be more illusion than actual improvement. The Titans’ best win of 2016 came against the 4-4 Lions in a game only memorable for giving us the final touchdown catch of Andre Johnson’s career. While that was a quality road victory, the rest of Tennessee’s resume lists triumphs over Miami (3-4), Jacksonville (2-5), and Cleveland (0-8). While beating the Dolphins may look better as the season wears on, the Titans still need to prove their legitimacy. A win on Sunday won’t quite get them there, but it’s a start.

2. San Diego’s secondary has held up without Jason Verrett thanks to some heady offseason acquisitions. Verrett, who Stephen White called “the best cornerback you’ve never heard of,” is out for the season after tearing his ACL in early October. Despite his absence, the Chargers are still a top 10 team when it comes to limiting opposing quarterbacks.

That’s thanks in part to free agent pickups Casey Hayward and Dwight Lowery. Lowery has filled the team’s starting free safety spot capably, while Hayward has expanded his role as a slot cornerback to give San Diego added versatility and veteran leadership in its defensive backfield. He’s moved Brandon Flowers to the outside, where he’s more comfortable, and the result has been a disruptive defensive unit that’s hauled in the second-most interceptions in the league in 2016.

3. DeMarco Murray has been revitalized in Nashville. Murray ran for 1,845 yards in 2014 before signing with Philadelphia as a free agent the following season. His value tanked with the Eagles; he ran for 1,100 fewer yards and 1.1 fewer yards per carry outside the comfort of Dallas’s punishing offensive line. That made him and his $42 million contract expendable, and Tennessee picked him up for the modest cost of a swap of fourth-round picks.

The low-risk, high-reward move has paid off for the Titans. Murray is on pace for a 1,500-yard, 12 touchdown season. His efficient running has helped take the offensive burden from Marcus Mariota’s shoulders and added a new dimension to this offense. If Tennessee rallies to its first postseason appearance since 2008, its stud tailback will be a big reason why.