The outcome of Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys won’t affect Tennessee’s chances of making the NFL playoffs. But while coach Mike Vrabel has seen growth from Malik Willis, the former Auburn quarterback won’t get more starting experience as the Titans prepare for the Jan. 8 game that will decide their playoff fate.

NFL Network reported on Thursday that Tennessee will open with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback against Dallas. The Titans signed Dobbs from the Detroit Lions’ practice squad on Dec. 21. Dobbs has been in the NFL since 2017, when he was a fourth-round draft choice from Tennessee. He’s thrown 17 passes in six NFL regular-season games.

MORE NFL:

· WEEK 17: SCHEDULE, TV, ODDS

· MAC JONES: ‘TOUGH TO HEAR THAT NEWS’ ON TUA TAGOVAILOA

· JARRETT STIDHAM’S OPPORTUNITY ARRIVES WITH RAIDERS

As Jarrett Stidham’s backup at Auburn, Willis completed 11-of-14 passes for 69 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 309 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in 2017 and 2018 with the Tigers. After transferring to Liberty, Willis completed 377-of-604 passes for 5,107 yards with 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and ran for 1,822 yards and 27 touchdowns on 338 carries in two seasons with the Flames.

The Titans took Willis with a third-round choice in the NFL Draft on April 29, and he got his first two starts with Ryan Tannehill sidelined by an ankle injury in a 17-10 victory over the Houston Texans on Oct. 30 and a 20-17 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 6.

With Tannehill down again with an ankle injury, Willis returned to the starting lineup on Saturday in a 19-14 loss to the Texans.

“I think it’s really good,” Vrabel said on Tuesday of the rookie’s progress. “I think he’s put a lot of time in. I think he’s been in a lot of different offenses. I think he’s working hard to learn what we’re doing and being able to manage a game and understand the operation and all those different things.”

In his three starts, Willis has completed 25-of-49 passes for 234 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and run 20 times for 95 yards and one touchdown. He’s thrown for more yards and rushed for more yards in each successive start.

“I think it’s gotten better, and I think there’s been some positive,” Vrabel said of Willis’ play. “And then some things we’re continuing to try to work on and correct. Work on the progression and work on just speeding up things, good communication and all the things that go into playing quarterback.”

The Titans enter Thursday night’s game with eight players already declared out by the team, including Tannehill, and workhorse running back Derrick Henry’s participation listed as doubtful.

“It’s a lot of new people in there, including myself,” Willis said, “and we’ve just got to continue to grow and get better. I mean, it is what it is.”

RELATED: WILL DERRICK HENRY PLAY AGAINST THE COWBOYS ON THURSDAY NIGHT?

But it’s the availability of Henry, Tannehill and the other missing players on Jan. 8 that’s the real issue for Tennessee. That’s when the Titans visit the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tennessee and Jacksonville have 7-8 records. The winner of their second meeting of 2022 will win the AFC South title and the accompanying home game in the first round of the postseason.

“We still have everything we want in front of us,” Willis said after Saturday’s game. “You could be a Debbie Downer about it. I mean, that’s your perspective. But we’re blessed, bro. We still got everything we could want, and we have the opportunity to learn from something. That might be even better than going out there and doing what we wanted to today.”

Before the showdown with Tennessee, the Jaguars visit the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Even if one of the teams takes a one-game lead over the other this week, the winner of the Jan. 8 game still will win the division.

If the teams finish tied because Jacksonville won the finale, the Jaguars will get the playoff spot because they swept the season series against Tennessee. Jacksonville defeated the Titans 36-22 on Dec. 11, the middle game of Tennessee’s current five-game losing streak.

If the teams finish tied because the Titans won the finale, Tennessee will get the playoff spot because it has a better record in the division.

But who will be the Titans’ quarterback for the pivotal game?

NFL Network reported Tannehill came to Birmingham last week to have ankle surgery performed by Dr. Norman Waldrop at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.

“I would say that’s an indication that he’s doing everything he possibly can to get back and help this team at some point,” Vrabel said.

The Titans and Cowboys square off at 7:15 p.m. CST Thursday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Prime Video will televise the game.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.