NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Delanie Walker has played in playoff games in the past. During his final season in San Francisco, he played in a Super Bowl.
In his mind, Sunday's Titans-Jaguars game will have a playoff feel. And on Wednesday, while at his locker at Saint Thomas Sports Park, he made a plea to Titans fans: Get loud.
"It will feel like a playoff game to us," Walker said, "because to get to the (playoffs) we have to win the next game. So I think that will be the atmosphere for us going into this game."
Walker said he expects the same from the crowd at Nissan Stadium.
"It's going to be really big – we're going to need the fans to really support us this game because this is for us to get to the playoffs," Walker said. "This is what they have been waiting for. … All the fans, you've been waiting for this – so show up and support us because we are going to need that atmosphere. We are going to need them to be loud when the defense is on the field because they can help our defense.
"And it gets us excited when we see the fans have our backs and are cheering. So it will go a long way."
Walker, who joined the Titans in 2013, said the atmosphere for home games has changed dramatically in recent years.
The Titans are 5-2 at Nissan Stadium this season, and the team has won 9 of 11 home games dating back to last season. Walker said it started to turn last year with wins over the Packers and Broncos, and it's carried over to this season.
Walker said the fans have been great.
"The loudness is there," Walker said. "You see people, they are in the game. No one is sitting down – everyone is standing up and cheering. And that stuff gets you pumped. I remember when I first got here, it was a home game and it felt like it was an away game. There were more fans there from the opponent, and now you don't see that.
"So that says a lot about our fans."
The Titans are in a win-and-in playoff scenario on Sunday against the Jaguars.
This week, Titans coach Mike Mularkey also praised the fan base. In a win over the Texans earlier this month, Houston was flagged for three consecutive false start penalties late in the contest, which came in part because of the crowd noise. On social media this week, Titans fans have encouraged one another to show up and make noise.
"The fans are as big a part of what goes on in that stadium, of supporting us with the noise," Mularkey said. "They've seen the results, when we get that crowd going it's a great ally for our football team. Our team feeds off of our crowd, there's no question about it. That's why we've had the home success that we've had over the last year-and-a-half, a lot of it's because of our fan support.
"(It's) really important. That's part of winning in this league is your support at home by your fans. As you've seen, the last few games that we've been there it's been a problem for our opponents, and we need it more than ever this week. I think it'll be a great environment. Weather is part of it, it's just part of it. I know the holidays and all that, but we could sure use them to help us beat these guys to get in."
TitansOnline.com looks back at the all-time series against the Jacksonville Jaguars.