The Tennessee Titans (7-5) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) this week in the first of two annual games between the AFC South rivals. Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for noon CST on Sunday, Dec. 11.
The Titans enter the contest with a five-game winning streak over the Jaguars and wins in nine of the last 10 games in the series. A win this week would improve the Titans' divisional record to 4-0 in 2022 with games remaining against the Houston Texans on Dec. 24 and at Jacksonville in the season finale on Jan. 7 or 8 (day and time TBD).
THE BROADCAST
The contest will be regionally televised on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon, analyst James Lofton and reporter Amanda Renner.
Fans in Nashville can stream live Titans games with the newly-launched NFL+ subscription service, which offers access to all local games and all primetime games on phones and tablets, live local and national audio for every NFL game, and more.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone carry all Titans games across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells and gameday host Rhett Bryan.
TITANS LOOK TO END TWO-GAME SKID, MOVE CLOSER TO DIVISION TITLE
The Titans traveled to Philadelphia last week to face an Eagles team with the best record in the NFL at 10-1. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks and a field goal by Randy Bullock kept the Titans within striking distance in the first two quarters. However, the Eagles pulled away in the second half for a 35-10 victory.
Tannehill passed for 141 yards and the touchdown to Burks without throwing an interception. His 97.0 passer rating gave him four consecutive games with a passer rating above 90.0. Nine different Titans caught at least one pass in the contest.
Another rookie, tight end Chig Okonkwo, led the Titans with four catches for 68 yards. His 41-yard reception gave him four gains of 30-plus yards in a five-game span. This season, Kansas City's Travis Kelce (five) is the only other NFL tight end with at least four such receptions.
The Eagles were only the second team in 2022 to score more than 22 points against the Titans defense. The Titans enter this week against Jacksonville ranked 11th in scoring defense (20.0 points allowed per game), third in rushing defense (83.1 rushing yards allowed per game) and tied for 10th place in sacks (33).
A victory this week would inch the Titans closer to a third consecutive division title. It would knock the Jaguars out of contention for the division crown, while the Indianapolis Colts, who have a bye this week, will remain alive in the race at 4-8-1. The 1-10-1 Houston Texans have already been eliminated from winning the division.
THE JAGUARS
The Jaguars launched a new era earlier this season under head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson most recently spent five seasons as the head coach (2016-20) of the Philadelphia Eagles, leading the Eagles to the postseason in three consecutive seasons (2017-19) and a Super Bowl LII title to conclude the 2017 campaign.
Jaguars second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the first-overall draft pick in 2021, has passed for 2,834 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions in his second season. His 92.7 passer rating ranks 12th in the NFL among qualifiers.
Last week the Jaguars traveled to Detroit, where they fell by a final score of 40-14. The Lions totaled 31 first downs and 437 total yards and controlled the ball for nearly 37 minutes. Prior to the loss at Detroit, the Jaguars won two of their previous three games, dropping the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 6 and the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 27.
