Jacksonville (7-4) at Tennessee (1-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Jaguars by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Jaguars 6-5, Titans 5-6.
Series record: Titans lead 35-26.
Last meeting: Jaguars won 20-13 in Jacksonville on Dec. 29, 2024.
Last week: Jaguars beat the Cardinals 27-24 in OT; Titans lost to the Seahawks 30-24.
Jaguars offense: overall (16), rush (8), pass (21), scoring (12).
Jaguars defense: overall (17), rush (1), pass (25), scoring (16).
Titans offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (30), scoring (30).
Titans defense: overall (26), rush (25), pass (19), scoring (29).
Turnover differential: Jaguars plus-4; Titans minus-4.
Jaguars player to watch
Brenton Strange caught five passes for 93 yards in his return from a hip injury and could be targeted even more against the Titans. One of the best blocking tight ends in the league, Strange also helped the Jaguars run for 134 yards at Arizona last week.
Titans player to watch
Chimere Dike. The rookie has quickly become a top wide receiver for fellow rookie Cam Ward. Dike also leads the NFL in all-purpose yards with 1,760 yards, and he scored two touchdowns last week. That includes his second punt return for a TD this season with his latest a 90-yarder.
Key matchup
Titans rookie QB Cam Ward against the Jaguars’ passing defense. Ward is coming off his best game yet as a passer with 256 yards passing. He also ran for a season-high 37 yards and his first TD last week. He leads all rookies in passing yards, and the Jaguars are giving up 240 yards a game through the air.
Key injuries
Jaguars: CB Greg Newsome, DE Danny Striggow (knee) and OL Chuma Edoga (calf) are dealing with minor injuries. WR Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle), CB Jourdan Lewis (shoulder/neck) and TE Hunter Long (hip/knee) could return after missing consecutive games.
Titans: WR Elic Ayomanor should have a chance to return from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the previous game. LT Dan Moore Jr. (knee) was limited and C Lloyd Cushenberry (foot) did not practice Wednesday. S Xavier Woods also is limited trying to return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the past three games. S Kendall Brooks, who missed the previous game, and DT Shy Tuttle both are in the concussion protocol.
Series notes
This series started in 1995 with the Jaguars’ debut as an expansion franchise with these teams meeting in Jacksonville’s first regular-season game. The then-Houston Oilers won that game and won the only playoff game between these teams. Tennessee is 19-11 at home, including 19-7 at Nissan Stadium, and 16-15 in Jacksonville thanks to their AFC championship win. The Jaguars swept last season’s series and have won five of the past six. This will be Titans interim coach Mike McCoy’s first game in this rivalry. McCoy is 4-0 all time against the Jaguars with the Chargers. McCoy was the Jaguars’ quarterbacks coach between 2022 and 2024 before being hired this offseason as a senior offensive assistant with the Titans.
Stats and stuff
The Jaguars have won three of four. Their past three road games have been dramatic, winning twice in overtime and blowing a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at Houston. … Trevor Lawrence has at least 210 yards passing in each of his six starts against the Titans. … RB Travis Etienne has at least 70 yards from scrimmage in three consecutive games. … WR Jakobi Meyers has developed a strong rapport with Lawrence and has at least 50 yards receiving in consecutive games. … DE Josh Hines-Allen has at least one sack in three of his past four games. He has at least a sack in five of his past six against the Titans. LB Foye Oluokun needs 10 tackles for his sixth consecutive season with at least 100 tackles. … PK Cam Little has made 22 consecutive kicks, including eight field goals. Little, 22, is the youngest player in NFL history with 40 career field goals. … The Titans have lost six straight with McCoy the interim coach for the past five. They have lost 10 straight at home and a loss Sunday would tie the longest home skid since this team left Houston in 1997. The Titans converted five of seven fourth downs last week. … K Joey Slye has seven field goals of 50 yards or longer, tying Stephen Gostkowski (2020) for the most in franchise history for a single season. … The Titans’ rookies have a combined 88 catches, second in the NFL behind Cleveland (100). … LB Cedric Gray ranks third in the NFL with 105 total tackles.
Fantasy tip
Rookie TE Gunnar Helm led the Titans with six catches for 51 yards last week.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The Associated Press
