AFC Game Of The Week
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Jaguars: For the first time since the divisions in the league were all realigned, the Jacksonville Jaguars are champions of the AFC South. Ever since this division started up back in 2002, it was run by the Tennessee Titans with Steve McNair and Eddie George and the Colts were also a team that was on top of the division with some guy named Peyton for all those years and then, the Texans came up and into the running and they won the division last year and if Deshaun Watson didn’t tear his ACL, they’d be in this position right now, but everything fell apart for them. For years, the Jaguars have been in the cellar of the division and one of the laughingstocks of the league. I really didn’t know what to expect from them this year because they’ve been known to get off to fast starts, then reality sets in. I remember watching their first game of the year against Houston and how they recorded ten sacks and that’s where we gave them the name “Sacksonville”. They’ve won a few big games this year including the dominant performance against the Steelers where they intercepted Ben Roethlisberger five times in one game and kept a Steelers offense to nine points. This is a team that can give a lot of teams a ton of problems come playoff time. The final straw comes on Sunday against the Titans.
Titans: At one point, they were on top of the division and everything was looking up for them. Not so much now. They were sitting at 8-4 at one time and now, they sit at 8-7 and clinging onto their playoff hopes at the moment. However, they can still get in and I’ll explain the scenario for you so follow along with me. The Titans will make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with a win, a tie in their finale, A Buffalo Bills loss or tie and a loss or tie from the Los Angeles Chargers. Although they lost on Sunday, I was impressed with their efforts because when you thought they were down and out, they found a way to come back and make things interesting in the game and they gave the Los Angeles Rams all that they could handle. The biggest issue with them has been their struggles with holding onto the football and turning it over and they need Marcus Mariota to play better because as he goes and when he’s productive, the team feeds off that energy and they will go as far as he takes them. Everything is in the hands of the Titans as they control their own playoff destiny. You win and you’re in, it gets no easier than that and to clinch a Wild Card spot, they will need to beat the Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.
Jaguars Player To Watch: Abry Jones– This defensive line has been the talk of the league throughout the year. They stop the run and are the main reason why the defense is known as Sacksonville. We know about Campbell, Malik Jackson, and Ngaukoe. We can’t forget about Abry Jones wrecking havoc in the middle of the defensive line. He’s also a big part why they’re so successful when it comes to stopping the run.
Titans Player To Watch: Eric Decker– This is exactly why you signed him. He’s a veteran that knows a thing or two about playing in some big games. Every team has that savvy veteran and he’s theirs.
Final Analysis: This could be a matchup we see next weekend when the playoffs start up. Doug Marrone said he has no intentions of resting his players at all despite having the division locked and I really don’t understand this because you’re already locked into the three seed in the AFC. This is everything for the Titans because as I said above, they win and they’re in.
Prediction: Jaguars 20 Titans 13
