It what has been one of the most wild weeks in the history of the Tennessee Titans, they now have to prepare for a Week 14 AFC South showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Tennessee fired its general manager this week, ending Jon Robinson’s tenure after six-plus seasons. The move shocked the football world, especially because of its timing.
But as head coach Mike Vrabel said, the Titans have to continue pushing forward with games left to play, and with a division and playoff spot to be secured.
The Titans can take the next step in both of those goals this week, as a win over the Jaguars would knock them out of the AFC South race, where they are already hanging by a thread.
While the Titans have dominated the Jags in recent years, this game has more uncertainty around it than usual thanks to what transpired this week, and this season overall.
But, as always, there are reasons to be optimistic, too.
Concern: Overcoming a distraction
The Titans made a shocking move this week by firing Jon Robinson, a move that was no doubt shocking to the players, also. Such a scenario is primed to bring distractions, something this team will have to overcome quickly.
The good news for the Titans is that they have the right head coach and veteran leadership to get through it and return to their winning ways.
As a result, this concern is near the bottom of the list of them.
Optimism: It's the Jags
If there was ever a perfect opponent for the Titans to get back on track against after two straight losses and Robinson’s firing, it’s the Jaguars.
Tennessee has owned Jacksonville since 2017, winning nine of 10 matchups, including each of the last five. The Titans desperately need that dominance to continue on Sunday or it could be a tough blow to the team’s psyche.
Putting the dominance aside for now, the Jaguars aren’t as bad of a team as they’ve been in recent years, and especially not worse than the Urban Meyer version. This isn’t a team that can be taken lightly by any means.
Concern: Key injuries
The Titans have a slew of key players dealing with injuries to keep an eye on going into Sunday, with cornerback Kristian Fulton, linebacker David Long, wide receiver Treylon Burks and defensive lineman Denico Autry being the biggest names on the list.
Fulton, Long and Burks all exited the Week 13 game early due to injury, and Autry has missed the last two games. None of those four players have practiced yet this week.
The Jaguars aren’t a juggernaut offensively by any means, but they do have a competent offense that can move the ball on the ground and through the air.
Tennessee’s defense just won’t be the same without any of these three players, and that’s especially true with Autry, whose absence has been felt big time in Tennessee’s pass-rush.
On offense, the struggles of the receivers has been well-documented, and those struggles have only become more apparent whenever the team’s top receiver, Burks, isn’t on the field.
The rookie has been coming on very strong of late, making his presence vital for a passing attack that has failed to produce consistently this season.
Optimism: Trevor Lawrence's status
All signs are pointing to Lawrence playing this week, even though he has yet to practice on either Wednesday or Thursday with a toe injury. However, even if he plays, there’s a chance he won’t be 100 percent.
Lawrence has had his ups and downs this season, but overall there are things to be encouraged by if you’re a Jaguars fan. That said, the second-year pro playing banged up could bring out the worst version of him.
The Titans have to get pressure on Lawrence, who will likely see his mobility limited at least a bit, and can’t allow him to sit comfortably in the pocket and pick apart a Tennessee secondary that might be without Fulton.
The problem for the Titans is they might be without their best pass-rusher in Autry, making that goal more difficult to achieve.
Optimism: Derrick Henry's past dominance
No player in NFL history has tormented the Jaguars like Henry, who has burnt Jacksonville on several occasions over the years en route to averaging an impressive 103.9 rushing yards per game against the division rival.
No doubt an ominous sign for the Jags, Henry is due for one of his customary blowup games after being quiet in each of the last four, mostly thanks to shoddy blocking upfront (more on that shortly).
Concern: The offensive line
We already went over Henry’s recent struggles, but we only briefly touched on the issue behind them: the offensive line.
Tennessee’s group upfront has failed at run-blocking for weeks now, leading to Henry getting hit at or behind the line of scrimmage with too much regularity.
But that’s not where the concerns end. The Titans’ offensive line has also had issues in pass protection, and especially at left tackle where Dennis Daley’s struggles have stood out the most.
Tennessee might look elsewhere for help at left tackle in Week 14, with fellow veteran lineman Le’Raven Clark being the most likely possibility.
There’s no telling how that’ll go if it happens, but at least the Titans would be trying something different instead of hoping the problem will just fix itself.
Jacksonville ranks 30th against the pass, 13th against the run, 16th in points allowed and 30th in sacks, so its defense isn’t exactly a concern. However, Tennessee’s O-line can make any defense look good when at its worst.
