The Tennessee Titans (7-5) will host the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in Week 14 in what will be the first of two meetings between these squads over the final five weeks of the 2022 campaign.
The first-place Titans come into this game with no shortage of intrigue. Not only have they lost their last two games, including an ugly blowout loss to A.J. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles, they also shockingly fired their general manager, Jon Robinson.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars are in the midst of their fifth-straight losing season and are coming off a 40-14 drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Lions. Even with all of their struggles, the Jaguars are still mathematically in the running for the division, and even a playoff spot.
With the 56th meeting between these two franchises just days away, here’s a look at seven things to know about the upcoming contest between the Titans and Jaguars.
Titans are favored
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Titans are four-point favorites over the Jaguars for Week 14, with the over/under set at 41. The spread has gone up from 3.5 and the over/under has dropped by a point.
The Titans have an 8-4 record against the spread but have only hit the over in four games. The Jaguars are 4-8 against the spread and have hit the over six times.
A big change
The Titans sent shockwaves throughout their own organization and the rest of the NFL on Tuesday when they fired general manager Jon Robinson after six-straight winning seasons, and in the midst of their seventh-straight.
While the timing of the decision was certainly shocking, the move itself wasn’t.
After all, the Titans had been moving backwards ever since their 2019 AFC Championship Game run, and while they are 7-5 and in first place in the division, they’re an ugly 7-5 and look destined to be one-and-done in the playoffs for a third-straight year.
Of course, such an earth-shattering move like this can become a distraction, but the Titans have the kind of veteran leadership to get them through it, led by head coach Mike Vrabel and the team’s veteran players.
Titans' dominance over Jaguars
With the Titans coming into this game off a two-game losing streak and after having surprisingly fired their general manager during the season, Tennessee couldn’t have drawn a better opponent to get back on the right track with.
The Titans hold a 34-21 (including playoffs) all-time advantage over the Jags, but things have been really bad for Jacksonville in recent years.
Tennessee has won nine of the last 10 matchups versus Jacksonville, and in the five-straight wins the Titans have against the Jaguars, their average margin of victory is 14.8 points.
Derrick Henry's dominance over Jaguars
A huge part of the reason the Titans have been bodying the Jags for years now has to do with one very large man: Derrick Henry.
Over 11 career games against the Jags, Henry is averaging 103.9 rushing yards per game and has tallied 14 scores on the ground.
In what has been a rarity in recent years, Henry has looked very human over the last four games, with the Titans back failing to break the century mark or average more than 3.1 yards per carry in any game over that span.
The biggest reason Henry hasn’t done much is because of the offensive line, which has The King getting hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on what feels like every carry.
If Henry and the Titans’ ground game can’t get right against the Jags, who sport the No. 13 run defense in the NFL, panic will really set in for fans.
Trevor Lawrence's status up in the air
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a sprained toe in Week 13 but was able to finish the game. However, his status is up in the air for Week 14.
“I’m feeling better today than I was Monday and yesterday,” Lawrence said after not practicing Wednesday. “A little bit of the soreness is going down a little bit. Obviously, still sore and taking it day-by-day, but fortunate, for sure. I feel pretty good.”
Head coach Doug Pederson said Lawrence doesn’t necessarily have to practice to play. At this point, all signs are pointing to him suiting up.
Lawrence hasn’t been great by any stretch this season, but he has shown signs of improvement and there’s no question he gives Jacksonville the best chance to win in terms of the signal-callers on their roster.
Key Titans injuries to keep an eye on
The Titans have their own injury concerns, and more of them.
On defense, we’re keeping an eye on defensive lineman Denico Autry, who has missed two games in a row with a knee injury, and linebacker David Long and cornerback Kristian Fulton, both of whom exited Week 13 early.
On offense, it’s rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks, who is in the concussion protocol after taking an illegal hit to the head against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tennessee’s pass-rush has struggled mightily without Autry, and the defense will have even more issues if Fulton and/or Long don’t play. Meanwhile, the Titans’ putrid receiving corps. can ill-afford to not have its best player.
Titans close to clinching division
Believe it or not, the Jaguars are still mathematically in it for the AFC South, but that could end on Sunday.
With a win, the Titans will knock Jacksonville out of the running for the division and would improve their magic number to one when it comes to eliminating the Indianapolis Colts, who are on bye.
However, if the Jaguars win, they’d pull to within two games of the Titans with four games left to play.
