Week 14 action in the NFL opens up with a budding AFC South rivalry game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. These teams gave us a 9-6 snooze fest back in Week 3, so there’s nowhere to go but up this time around. After winning that game, the Titans are 4.5-point favorites to win at home on Thursday.
Tennessee scored 13 unanswered points in the 4th quarter against the Jets last week to essentially save their season. The win got the Titans to 6-6, keeping them a game behind the Ravens for the last wild-card spot in the AFC. Of course, there are three other 6-6 teams trying to catch Baltimore, giving the Titans almost no margin for error.
Jacksonville, of course, is out of the playoff picture. But they were at least able to put an end to their seven-game losing streak with a 6-0 win over the Colts last week. It wasn’t pretty, but the Jacksonville defense was exceptional while the Cody Kessler-led offense did enough to put two field goals on the board.
We Back?
As mentioned, the Jacksonville defense pitched a shutout last week, giving fans a glimpse of the defense that carried the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game last week. Obviously, it was just one game, but shutting out the Colts is no joke. Indy was riding a five-game winning streak and had scored at least 27 points in all five of those wins. They also sacked Andrew Luck three times, something that had only been done twice in Indy’s previous seven games.
Needless to say, the Tennessee offense is in for a tough game on Thursday night. Pass protection has been an issue for the Titans this season, as they have yielded 42 sacks in 12 games. That may not be a good sign given how inconsistent Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee running game have been this year. Remember, the Titans managed just nine points against the Jaguars in Week 3.
Cody’s Show
For the second straight week, Kessler will get the start in place of Blake Bortles. To be fair, Kessler wasn’t terrible in last week’s win over the Colts, his first as a starter in the NFL. He completed 18 of his 24 passes without throwing an interception. However, he only totaled 150 yards and the Jags only managed six points, as they didn’t get much from their running game. On the bright side, Leonard Fournette will return Thursday after being suspended last week. But that doesn’t exactly solve Jacksonville’s offensive issues, nor does Kessler playing quarterback.
It’s also worth noting that the Titans have been solid defensively most of the season. They have struggled on that side in recent weeks against the Colts and Texans, and a little bit against the Jets. But this is still the same team that limited Tom Brady and the Patriots to 10 points less than a month ago, so there’s every chance that they have their way with Kessler and company.
History Lesson
History can be a fickle thing, but the Titans have won five of their last six games against the Jaguars. Tennessee even swept last year’s season series. The Jags haven’t won in Nashville since 2013. Look for the Titans to play shutdown defense and do just enough offensively to win comfortably. Bet on the Titans to win and cover the 4.5-point spread on Thursday night.
