Tennessee Titans: Road to Playoffs Begins with Jacksonville Jaguars
By Luke Sims
The Tennessee Titans are smarting after a close loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but they can get back on track in the AFC South on Thursday Night Football.
For too long the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have lived in the cellar of the AFC South. Both teams are clearly in the middle of a rebuild. In quarterback Marcus Mariota‘s second year and the first year under head coach Mike Mularkey, the Titans look better poised to get back on top of the AFC South than the Jaguars. They’ll have a chance to show their progress on the national stage over their division rival in Week 8’s Thursday Night Football game.
Related Story: NFL Trade Deadline: 1 Move Every Team Must Make
Division games are critical in the NFL and the recent loss to the Indianapolis Colts despite climbing back to pull ahead 23-20 in the fourth quarter. It was a missed opportunity to pull ahead of the Colts and sit atop the AFC South. Instead, the Titans are tied with Indy at 3-4 and the Houston Texans, who lost on Monday Night Football, stay the best of the bunch at 4-3.
The Jaguars aren’t going to be an easy out. Division games are difficult and anything can happen. Both teams are susceptible of playing “down” to each other’s level and it could end up as a slog of a game, much like last year’s 13-19 loss on TNF. But this game offers opportunity like no other.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
By beating the Jaguars, the Titans can definitively prove they don’t belong in the cellar anymore and show they again have a leg up over their most bitter rival just like in the late 1990s. It’s also a chance to land in the top spot of the division as the Texans appear to be struggling behind Brock Osweiler and take on the streaking Detroit Lions. The Colts also face a tough test against the Kansas city Chiefs.
The Titans have quietly built a stout run defense (sixth in the NFL) and won’t have any trouble bottling up T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory as the Jaguars are ranked 30th on the ground. Dick LeBeau‘s defense forces defenses to pass to win against the Titans and they’re able to take advantage with six interceptions on the season. Blake Bortles is a turnover machine and should give at least one to the Titans defense.
While the opposition is forced to pass, the Titans are able to eat up clock with a run game that ranks third in the NFL, largely due to DeMarco Murray. The Titans hold the ball the 12th longest in the NFL and that number only increases the more they can establish the run.
This is an old-school style team right now. Stop the run and run the ball and things go well. That formula has worked surprisingly well in 2016 to this point. It’s almost perfectly designed to work against the Jaguars in Week 8.
After the Jaguars the Titans could well be in control of their own destiny. They’re still mostly unproven but, as ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky notes, it’s time to show they’re on a level equal to the Colts and Texans. That begins by beating the Jaguars.
More Titans: Lewan, Conklin Among League's Best Tackles
After the Jaguars the Tennessee Titans have winnable games against the San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Colts again, and the hapless Chicago Bears. It’s possible to win all four of those games but more likely they get at least two or three. In the AFC South that’s good enough to keep pace for the division title.