What a difference 24 hours has made in the coaching future of Mike Mularkey.
After a report surfaced prior to the Tennessee Titans' wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs that Mularkey's job as head coach was not safe despite a playoff berth, a come-from-behind victory has earned the 56-year-old a vote of confidence from controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.
Strunk released an official statement Sunday, announcing that Mularkey "is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward."
Our mantra all season has been to take things week by week and not get ahead of ourselves and it obviously has served us well. I regret that outside rumors gained a life of their own. No one has been a bigger supporter of Mike Mularkey than I have over the last two plus seasons. Mike and (general manager) Jon (Robinson) have changed the culture of our team and organization and I am so happy we have been able to bring success on the field to our fans - winning 19 games over the last two seasons, including our first playoff win in nine years. Just to eliminate any distractions moving forward, Mike Mularkey is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward. We still have work to be done, including this week, but I am looking forward to the journey.
Related: Mularkey 'assumed the worst' about job security before Titans' win
Things looked bleak for Mularkey and the Titans going into halftime with a 21-3 deficit against the Chiefs, but a remarkable comeback and subsequent 22-21 victory punched the team's ticket to its first AFC Divisional Round appearance since 2008.
Mularkey led the Titans to a second consecutive 9-7 record this season, and was largely considered to be a top candidate for dismissal prior to Saturday's victory.
