The Tennessee Titans are trying to stave-off a collapse in Week 18 when they meet the Jacksonville Jaguars in Duval on Saturday night in a game that will decide the AFC South.
Once sitting pretty atop the division at 7-3, the Titans have lost six games in a row, tying the second-longest losing streak of the Titans era. Of course, if Tennessee loses a seventh, the skid will stand alone in second place.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars are on a much different trajectory after having won four in a row, but more importantly they’ve seen their young quarterback elevate his game in a big way.
With the Jags on an upward swing and the Titans in a downward spiral, this could be a passing-of-the-torch game if the Jags can take the AFC South crown away from the back-to-back champions.
There are many reasons to be pessimistic about this game if you’re a Titans fan, but glimmers of hope exist, also.
Optimism: More preparation for Josh Dobbs
Not only did Dobbs make his first career NFL start in Week 17, he was also doing so after having joined a brand new team just eight days prior. Dobbs also admitted he was throwing to routes he had never worked on in practice.
Now, Dobbs gets another week under his belt and more work with his wide receivers going into a crucial game against the Jags, which should help him operate the offense better.
Granted, such a short amount of time pales in comparison to having a full training camp and season, but there’s no doubt he’s at least in a little better position than he was last week.
Concern: Jags' offense
One thing the Titans can’t afford to do is get into a shootout with the Jags, who enter this game as one of the hottest teams in the NFL after having won four straight, and five of six.
During that four-game winning streak, Jacksonville is scoring 31.5 points per game. For reference, the Kansas City Chiefs lead the NFL with 29.1 points per contest.
Most importantly for the Jags, second-year signal-caller Trevor Lawrence has taken a huge leap forward, which has spurred on Evan Engram’s resurgence of late, something we saw in Week 14 when he torched Tennessee for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
All of that, and we didn’t even mention a very talented running back in Travis Etienne, and a receiver having a career year in Christian Kirk.
The Titans’ defense is going to have to play a near-perfect game to keep this Jags offense in check and off the scoreboard enough to help prop up an offense that is unlikely to score a lot.
Optimism: Titans are well-rested
Tennessee is going into Week 18 after having played on Thursday night the week before, which is usually a recipe for success for head coach Mike Vrabel’s squads.
Since Vrabel took over in 2018, the Titans are 9-1 on long rest, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12 of this season.
On top of having extra time to prepare this week, there are also several key players who were afforded even more time to heal their injuries following a Week 17 game in which the Titans opted to sit guys.
Sure, the Titans are still incredibly banged-up, but they’re also about as well-rested as a team can be at this point in the season.
Concern: Treylon Burks added to injury report
If the Titans’ offense is going to be at its best, it desperately needs Burks on the field. The rookie wideout has been the lone bright spot this season in a receiving corps. that is among the worst in the NFL.
However, there is now at least some concern about Burks’ availability after the injury report was released on Wednesday.
On it, Burks was a new addition and was listed as limited with a groin injury. It isn’t clear how serious the issue is, but it’s certainly something to monitor Thursday, when the final injury report comes out.
"Treylon Burks seemed like he was fine in the locker room…and then he pops up on the injury report with a groin problem."@KaylaAndersonTV recaps what she heard yesterday from the rookie wideout right now. https://t.co/iG4kx5pada
— Ramon Kayla & Will (@RamonKaylaWill) January 5, 2023
Optimism and concern: Titans' defense
When at its healthiest and best, the Titans’ defense can put the clamps on any offense in the NFL. The problem has been the unit simply can’t stay healthy, which has led to some lackluster performances over the six-game skid.
The Titans will have Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons, but the jury is still out on Kristian Fulton, David Long and Amani Hooker.
Fulton and Hooker have missed multiple games in a row and were limited the first two days of the week, and Long remains on injured reserve and hasn’t even been designated to return with just a few days to go.
The Titans must keep this a low-scoring affair in order to have a chance to win. Not having one, two, or all three of the aforementioned players will incrementally decrease Tennessee’s chances of doing so.
Concern: Titans' offensive line
What else is new?
The Titans’ offensive line, which is tied for the seventh-most sacks given up in 2022, will once again be without its two best starters in Nate Davis and Ben Jones, both of whom are out for the season.
Adding to those two, Nicholas Petit-Frere’s status is up in the air after he exited Week 16 early and didn’t play last week.
While Corey Levin was great at center and Jordan Roos serviceable at right guard, we’ll have to hope the wheels don’t come off for either in this game. Also, Le’Raven Clark was not good in place of NPF the last two weeks.
At least the Titans can depend on their two normal starters to be stalwarts upfront, right? Wrong — Dennis Daley remains the worst left tackle in the sport, and Aaron Brewer is no great shakes, either.
As he did against the Cowboys, offensive coordinator Todd Downing needs to dial up plays that get the ball out of Dobbs’ hands quickly or else this offensive line will make him pay for it.
Optimism and concern: Derrick Henry
With all the concerns on offense, at least the Titans still have a superstar running back to lean on — and one that normally dominates the Jags.
Over 12 career games against Jacksonville, Henry is averaging 105.3 yards per game and has scored 15 touchdowns. He added to his impressive career numbers against the Jags in Week 14 with 121 yards and a touchdown.
However, it was actually a disappointing game for Henry overall. 96 of those 121 yards came in the first quarter, and the Alabama product also lost a pair of fumbles, which is where the concern for Henry comes in.
The Titans back has lost three fumbles in his last three games, including the two in Week 14. Tennessee can ill-afford to have anymore of that from Henry, who spoke about it on Wednesday.
Still, the 96 yards in a single quarter is a stark reminder that Henry is capable of taking games over, especially when he plays the Jags.
If Henry can have a vintage performance on Saturday night, take care of the football, and the passing attack can sufficiently complement him, the Titans will have a great chance to win.
Concern: Self-inflicted wounds
Part of the reason the Titans got their doors blown off by the Jaguars in Week 14 was turnovers, of which the Titans committed four. As we already mentioned, Henry was responsible for two of them.
Turnovers have been a major problem all season long, and especially since that game. Including their loss to Jacksonville, the Titans have coughed up the ball 10 times in their last four games, tied for the second-most in the NFL.
But turnovers are just one aspect of the Titans shooting themselves in the foot lately. Tennessee has also been undisciplined, committing several back-breaking penalties to kill drives on offense and aid opponents on defense.
The Titans rank fifth and second in the league in penalties and penalty yardage surrendered, respectively. In Week 17, they were penalized a whopping 10 times for 124 yards.
This team cannot withstand the types of setbacks we’ve seen over the course of this losing streak. If these issues persist in Week 18, the Titans will be leaving Duval without the AFC South crown.
