nashville – The Titans will face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here’s a look at six things to watch for in the competition:
Titans quarterback Cam Ward has given fans more reasons to be optimistic recently, as his performance has improved. Ward has avoided turnovers, he’s picked up first downs with his legs, and he’s made some impressive throws, including some Houdini-like plays after escaping pressure. But there is plenty of room for Ward and this offense to grow. And, let’s face it, it’s been feast or famine at times from drive to drive. Case in point: The Titans are averaging 8.75 plays per scoring drive this season, fifth-highest in the NFL. But that average has fallen to 4.66 in his non-scoring drives, and there have been far more of them.
There are a number of reasons why Tennessee’s run game hasn’t been better – blocking has been inconsistent, running backs have left some holes, opposing defenses have been formidable. If the Titans are going to make much progress on offense, they’re going to have to figure out how to run the football better. The Titans have totals of 65, 39, 88, 113, 58 and 64 in their last six games, and Ward’s rushing against Seattle was 37 of 64 yards. Tony Pollard is averaging just 32.3 rushing yards per game over the last six games, compared to 65.5 in Weeks 1-5. The Titans need to figure things out here, but it won’t be easy – the Jaguars have allowed a league-low 83.7 rush yards per game.
Titans rookie Chimere Dike brought the magic back in the return game. The elusive Dike returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown last week against the Seahawks, when he became the fifth player in Titans/Oilers history with multiple punt return TDs in a season and the first since Darius Renaud in 2012. Dike is averaging 23.8 yards per punt return, and he is on pace for the best single-season mark by any player in the Super Bowl era (minimum 10 returns). Can Dyke keep it going on Sunday? The Titans could use another spark.
Across the board, the rookie class of the team has provided a spark. Last Sunday, five of the team’s nine draft selections started the game. I’ve seen Gunnar Helm’s name mentioned in a group here making the case for why the team should give him the ball more. Helm led the Titans with six catches and 51 receiving yards last week as he became the third rookie to lead the Titans/Oilers outright (no tie) in both receptions and receiving yards in a game, joining Jimmy Giles (9/25/1977) and Chig Okonkwo (12/4/2022). I say put him on the field more and target him more. Will the Titans continue to exploit one of their biggest matchup problems?
The Titans will face a Jacksonville team that is averaging 30.3 points per game since its Week 8 bye, while the Jaguars have scored at least 27 points in four straight games. RB Travis Etienne Jr. leads the Jaguars with 975 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns, while quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 2,407 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. But these Jaguars aren’t perfect, and the Titans need to make mistakes, something they couldn’t do last week. Lawrence has the third-most interceptions in the league (11), and has thrown at least one interception in each of the last four games. According to Next Gen stats, the Jaguars also have a league-worst 29 dropped passes.
Home Losing Streak/Draft Position
We used to use this last graph to discuss playoff chances, but the Titans have bullied their way out of that conversation. So, we’ll discuss some of the other things at stake. The Titans have now lost 10 consecutive home games since the team’s win over the Patriots last November. Can Titans finally end that ugly streak? For those who follow the draft, the Titans are on track to have the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft – the Jaguars were the last franchise to have the first overall pick in consecutive seasons in 2021 and 2022. There is a lot at stake depending on win/loss on Sunday.
<a href=