The Jacksonville Jaguars fought hard last week against the Houston Texans but came up short at home. Trevor Lawrence was injured on a late hit, but Mac Jones threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback attempt. The Jaguars have lost 15 out of their last 18 games and have officially been eliminated from the playoffs. This week, they face another struggling team, the Tennessee Titans. This rivalry game has bad blood and should have more points than expected. Both teams have little to play for, so who will come out on top?
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans Game History
Sunday will be the 50th time the Jaguars and Titans have met. The Titans lead the series 35-24 over the Jaguars. The last meeting was in 2024 when the Titans won 28-20 and knocked the Jaguars out of the playoffs. The Jaguars have won three out of four in this series but had lost five straight before that.
Key Players for the Jaguars
The Jaguars will be without Trevor Lawrence for the rest of the season. The coaching staff is coaching for their jobs and the team needs to show some pride through the rest of the season.
Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby combined for 74 yards on 20 attempts. The running game has been struggling and it looks like the coaches still have Etienne as RB 1. The Titans give up the 8th fewest amount of rush yards per game. This will be another tough matchup but the Jaguars will need to keep balance. The offense runs the best with play action and needs to keep pressure off Mac Jones.
Brian Thomas Jr. only caught four of his 10 targets but did get in the endzone. Parker Washington had a break out game with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Evan Engram caught seven passes but has struggled with yardage and only has one touchdown on the season. The Titans give up the least amount of passing yards per game, so the team needs to use all of its weapons to spread the defense out.
3: Parker Washington – Deep Out#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/FdM5DLdCRk
— The Sideline Hustle (@sidelinehustle) December 5, 2024
The Jaguars’ defense started out strong only allowing six points in the first have but again faltered in the second half. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker each had a sack but the defense could not get enough stop. Nico Collins had another big day, while Joe Mixon reached 100 rushing yards and was able to run out the clock. Linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Ventrell Miller will need to be able to stop the run and not let Will Levis get extra yards on scrambles. The secondary has struggled and will need to play better against an improving Titans passing attack.
Key Players for the Titans
After a win against the Houston Texans, the Titans were blown out by the Washington Commanders. The game was never in question and neither side of the ball played well. The Titans were losing competitive games at the beginning of the season but five out of their last seven losses have been over 10 points.
Tony Pollard has had a nice season but has struggled the past few games. In three out of his last four games he has under 50 yards rushing. Tyjae Spears has not been much of a factor this year but his receiving ability could play a role in this game. The Jaguars have had problems with running backs and give up the third most receiving yards to running backs per game.
After becoming the starter again, Will Levis has had seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. His accuracy is still inconsistent but he has thrown for 275 yards in two of the last three games.
Will Levis’ last three games:
53-for-78 (.679)
748 yards
5 TDs
2 INTs
20 sacks
107.2 passer rating #Titans— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 24, 2024
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has become the go to receiver with four touchdowns in the last three games with 19 targets. It has been six weeks since Calvin Ridley has gone over 100 yards but he may be looking to seek revenge against his former team. Chig Okonkwo only has 289 yards this season but the Jaguars struggle against tight ends and he may break out of his slump.
Jeffrey Simmons anchors the line and has seven tackles for loss this season. Arden Key and Harold Landry lead the Titans in sacks and will look to take advantage of the Jaguars inconsistent offensive line. The big factors in the secondary for the Titans are Armani Hooker, Roger McCreary, and Daryl Worley.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Keys to Win the Game
It will be evident early if the team will compete on the road or have given up on the coaches. The Jaguars start slow every week and if they want a win, that has to change. The Titans defense is tough so there cannot be any early turnovers to put the team in a hole.
On defense the Jaguars need to get pressure on Will Levis. He has been sacked 22 times in the last four games. Levis is known to make bad decisions and the Jaguars defense has not been very opportunistic this year. If the defense can create short fields for Mac Jones it could help the Jaguars be more successful on offense.
I think this is a game more for Tank Bigsby becauase he is tougher between the tackles. Brian Thomas is too good to not get the ball to. He needs to see 10 targets this game and hopefully that will open up Parker Washington and Evan Engram.