While their fanbase is still recovering from Sunday’s deflating loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars must now let it be nothing more than a moment in the past. Up next for them is a team who may be even more desperate than the Colts were in the Tennessee Titans, who look to be a better team than they were Week 3 when the Jags beat them on “Thursday Night Football.”
All of that said, here are three things to know as the Jags and Titans gear up for their second meeting of 2019:
The Titans have a lot to play for with the No. 9 seed in the AFC
The Titans will come into Sunday’s game with plenty to play for — and quite frankly — more than the Jags. As of Tuesday, they have the ninth seed in the AFC playoff picture with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills in their way for a wild-card slot.
Per For the Win, the Titans have a 17.9% chance to make the playoffs. The Jags, on the other hand, have a 6.5% chance after previously having an 18.9% chance previously. A win for the Titans could push them closer to the 20% range if not higher as they are currently favorites over the Jags by 3.5-points, per BetMGM.
The Titans are coming off their bye after their biggest win of the year, while the Jags are coming of a tough loss
The Titans should come into Sunday’s game relatively healthy after their bye and amped up to see what the rest of the season holds after a huge victory against the Kansas City Chiefs Week 10. As a result, this is shaping up to be a game where the Titans are going to be extremely scrappy, especially with their postseason aspirations on the line.
In Week 10’s game against the Chiefs, the Titans offense had a strong day against Kansas City’s suspect defense. The Jags could be in for a similar day as they’ve been suspect, too, and isn’t playing at the same level they were Week 3. In fact, they will be coming off a game in which they allowed just under 300 yards to the Colts, 264 of which were on the ground.
A new quarterback will be behind center and the Titans have every reason to buy into him — at least for 2019
The Jags won’t be facing Marcus Mariota this time around, which will feel odd for Jags fans after many battles against him. Instead, it will be Ryan Tannehill behind center, who has rallied the team to their present record of .500. He initially got the nod as the starter Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, winning that game and two others since.
Tannehill will enter Week 12’s game 97-of-136 (71.3%) for 1,161 yards, four interceptions and eight touchdowns. However, the Jags can be confident in the fact that they have a victory against him last season when he was with the Miami Dolphins.
