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The Tennessee Titans won more games inside the AFC South Nick O'Leary Jersey , won the franchise’s first playoff game in 14 years and reached the divisional round for the first time since 2008.

Being embarrassed by the Patriots 35-14 has only reminded the Titans of how big a gap remains.

”We have a lot of work to do if we want to take the next step,” coach Mike Mularkey said Sunday.

Mularkey took a team that finished 3-13 for the No. 1 pick in the draft just two seasons ago to back-to-back 9-7 seasons and a 22-21 wild-card win in Kansas City before the ugly loss in New England on Saturday night.

Yet a statement from the team’s controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk a week ago has not ended speculation over Mularkey’s job security.

The coach said Sunday he has spoken with Strunk about the season and the future. He would not discuss if they talked about an extension with 2018 the last year on his contract, but he anticipates no changes on his coaching staff.

”We’re moving forward full speed ahead,” Mularkey said.

Mularkey also defended his offensive coordinator, saying Terry Robiskie did a ”very good job.” Mularkey also says he’s happy with the development of his quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Mularkey says inconsistency was his offense’s biggest issue, and he believes Mariota will benefit from an offseason focused on football and not recovering from an injury.

Mariota finished the season on the field for the first time in his three seasons in the NFL, but he was limited after straining a quadriceps muscle early against the Patriots. He threw four touchdown passes with only one interception in the playoffs after throwing more interceptions (15) than TDs (13) in the regular season.

Here are some things to watch from the Titans this offseason:

WHITHER DICK LEBEAU

The defensive coordinator turned 80 in September and has been on a year-to-year basis with the Titans. Mularkey hasn’t talked to LeBeau yet. If he returns for the 2018 season, it would be LeBeau’s 60th season in the NFL as a player and coach overall.

The Titans led the AFC and ranked fourth in the league in rushing defense and fifth with 43 sacks in the regular season.

But the Titans finished 17th in points allowed per game and 25th against the pass after adding two new starters to the secondary in cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Johnathan Cyprien.

HENRY’S TIME?

DeMarco Murray, the three-time Pro Bowl running back, finished with the worst season of his career with 659 rushing yards. He missed the final three games with an injured right knee.

Murray, who turns 30 on Feb. 12, still has two years left on the deal the Titans reworked when trading for the running back in March 2016. But Murray is due $6.25 million in 2018.

Derrick Henry Michael Brockers Jersey , the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, struggled running in two of his three starts without Murray.

But he ran for a career-high 156 yards in the Titans’ comeback win in Kansas City , and Henry still has two years left on his rookie contract.

RECEIVER ISSUES

The Titans invested heavily in the draft trying to give Mariota help. But Corey Davis, the fifth pick overall out of Western Michigan, didn’t catch his first TD pass until the playoff loss to the Patriots after injuries cost him significant practice time.

Mularkey says he wants to see Davis and fellow rookie receiver Taywan Taylor benefit from an offseason in the weight room and on the field. Davis finished with 34 catches for 374 yards, while Taylor had just 16 for 231.

BOLSTER OFFENSIVE LINE

The Titans slipped from a year ago when they blocked for the AFC’s top rushing offense and tied for seventh in the league for fewest sacks allowed. The Titans ranked 15th in rushing and gave up more sacks (35) than a year ago.

Right guard Josh Kline will be a free agent, and left guard Quinton Spain dealt with injuries that kept him out of two games this season. They’ll likely start training camp with right tackle Jack Conklin on the physically unable to perform list after he tore his left ACL in New England .

OFFSEASON NEEDS

The Titans have fewer holes, but not pressuring Tom Brady makes clear they need someone on defense who can make a difference. They will have the 25th pick in the first round in the draft.

They also have plenty of salary cap space with only a handful of pending free agents in defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, linebacker Avery Williamson, kicker Ryan Succop, receiver Eric Decker and linebacker Erik Walden.

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The Celtics were loose, smiling and laughing. They weren’t straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.

All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.

Practice isn’t an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.

Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Royce Freeman Jersey , the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.

They were hard on themselves.

”I thought it was embarrassing,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston’s 116-86 loss – and his own performance. ”I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight.”

Brown scored just 10 points – 13 below his average after two games in the series – and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while pulling within 2-1 in the series.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens may change his lineup for Monday’s Game 4, perhaps returning to center Aron Baynes and bringing Marcus Morris off the bench. Stevens has to do something to free up Al Horford, who has been held in check by Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson the past two games.

By starting Baynes, Stevens could force Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to make a counter move and either put Kevin Love – or even James – on Horford.

Stevens wouldn’t tip his hand. Beyond any lineup tweaks, more concerning for him may be his team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde postseason play.

The Celtics have been sensational at home, going 9-0. But the road has been treacherous as Boston is 1-5 in trips to Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Cleveland Howard Wilson Jersey , with the only win in overtime against the 76ers.

The Celtics have a case of homesickness. They aren’t playing with the same intensity or confidence as they do when they’re under those dangling NBA championship banners and retired jersey numbers atop TD Garden.

Boston had one of the league’s best road records during the regular season, going 28-13 – only Houston and Golden State were better. But with several young players, including 20-year-old Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are learning that playing in front of hostile playoff crowds can be daunting.

”It’s very different,” said Horford, who took only four shots in Game 3. ”I think that at home, you have your home crowd behind you. You have a comfort level about you. And on the road, literally it’s just you against everybody else. It takes a while for you to get used to and understand how well you have to play on the road. You have to be able to do all the little things in order to have a chance.

”Last night we had a lot of breakdowns, so we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win.”

The good thing for Boston is that it doesn’t have to win a road game to make the Finals.

Cleveland does, but James has been down this path before. He’s twice rallied teams from 2-0 deficits.

The Cavs seized control from the opening tip in Game 3, bursting to a 20-4 lead and then clamping down defensively on the Celtics, who didn’t get the open looks they enjoyed in Games 1 and 2.

James Todd Gurley Jersey , in particular, played like a man not about to let the Celtics block his path to an eighth straight Finals.

While he was typically amazing on offense, handing out 12 assists including three that required multiple replays to appreciate their artistic beauty, James was a defensive force as well.

”I thought last night was one of LeBron’s best games I’ve seen in a long time as far as helping, closing out to Jaylen Brown’s chest and making him put it on the floor,” Lue said. ”Closing out to Morris. Closing out to (Marcus) Smart. He did a really good job of just setting the tone of multiple effort and that was good for us.”

And for a change, James had plenty of offensive help as Cleveland had six players in double figures. Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson had major contributions, giving the Cavs a taste of what could lie ahead.

The non-LeBrons, as they’ve been dubbed, came up big.

”We’re starting to figure out that LeBron doesn’t have to take 20-some shots to beat a great team by 30,” Nance said. ”The rest of us are very good basketball players in our own right and it’s nice to show that.”

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