Jaguars looking for first 3-game winning streak against rival Titans since 2005-06 seasons
TENNESSEE (3-6) at JACKSONVILLE (6-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Jaguars by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Tennessee 4-5; Jacksonville 6-3.
SERIES RECORD: Titans lead 33-23.
LAST MEETING: Jaguars beat Titans 20-16 on Jan. 7, 2023, in Jacksonville.
LAST WEEK: Titans lost at Buccaneers 20-6; Jaguars lost to 49ers 34-3.
TITANS: OVERALL (27), RUSH (16), PASS (T26), SCORING (26).
TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (16), PASS (17), SCORING (10).
JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (15), PASS (17), SCORING (T14).
JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (5), PASS (30), SCORING (26).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Titans minus-3; Jaguars plus-1.
TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: Three-time All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins already has become rookie QB Will Levis’ favorite option. Levis threw to Hopkins nine times last week, yet they only connected three times for 27 yards. That’s a big drop from Levis’ debut when he threw three TDs to Hopkins, who has had at least 60 yards receiving in two of his past three games.
JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Evan Engram had the best game of his NFL career against the Titans last season, finishing with 11 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns in Nashville last December. Now, he’s coming off a four-catch, 12-yard performance against San Francisco. The Jaguars seemingly could use more from Engram, considering WRs Zay Jones (knee) and Jamal Agnew (shoulder/ribs) won’t play.
KEY MATCHUP: Titans’ Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry versus Jacksonville’s struggling offensive line. Simmons (4½) and Autry (6) have a combined 10½ sacks in nine games and should give Tennessee an edge up front against the Jaguars. QB Trevor Lawrence has been sacked 24 times, three shy of last season’s total, and many believe O-line play has been Jacksonville’s biggest offensive issue in 2023.
KEY INJURIES: The Titans likely will be without starting WR Treylon Burks (concussion) for a second straight game after he was briefly knocked unconscious in a Nov. 2 loss at Pittsburgh. LT Andre Dillard also is in the concussion protocol. RG Daniel Brunskill (right ankle) and starting CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (right thumb) both are trying to return. Murphy-Bunting had thumb surgery and said it’s a pain-tolerance issue. … In addition to Jones and Agnew, the Jaguars could be without CB Tyson Campbell after he re-injured a strained hamstring against the Niners.
SERIES NOTES: Despite losing nine of the past 12 meetings, the Jaguars have consecutive wins in the series for the first time since the 2014-15 seasons. The most recent time Jacksonville won three in a row against Tennessee came during the 2005 and ’06 seasons.
STATS AND STUFF: The Titans are 19-12 in the AFC South since Mike Vrabel was hired in 2018, a 61.3% winning rate that’s best in the division. … The Titans are the AFC’s lone winless team on the road this season at 0-5. This road trip is the last of a seven-week stretch for the Titans with only one home game. They finish the season with five of seven at home. … Levis has thrown for at least 230 yards in two of his first three starts. … Two-time NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry is averaging 158.8 yards and has six rushing TDs in his past four games against Jacksonville. He grew up down the road in Yulee. … Henry needs 40 yards rushing to become the eighth player in NFL history with 9,000 yards rushing and 80 rushing TDs before turning 30. That group already includes Adrian Peterson and six Pro Football Hall of Fame members in Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk. … Hopkins leads the Titans with 591 yards receiving, making him the fourth WR in the NFL since 2000 with at least 500 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons. … The Jaguars are 1-3 at EverBank Stadium this season and have been blown out by Houston and San Francisco. … Lawrence has a rating of 90 or better in five of his past six games. He had four TD passes and no INTs, with a rating of 109.1, in two games against the Titans last season. … RB Travis Etienne has 75 or more yards from scrimmage and a TD in four of his past five games. He needs 107 yards from scrimmage for his second straight 1,000-yard season. … LB Josh Allen has a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his previous game against Tennessee. He has seven sacks in his past six division games. … LBs Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd each has nine or more tackles in four consecutive games. Oluokun had 13 or more tackles in both games against the Titans last season. … Jaguars PK Brandon McManus has made 14 consecutive field-goal attempts, including four from beyond 50 yards.
FANTASY TIP: Henry versus his hometown team is always a safe play. Hopkins has been fairly quiet against the Jaguars over the years, totaling just six TDs and two 100-yard games in 15 starts.
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