The Tennessee Titans (2-7) match up against the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) at EverBank Field this week in a battle between AFC South rivals. While this season has been a bit of a letdown for Jacksonville, the team has shown signs of life lately, notching wins in two of its last three. The game will begin Thursday, Nov 19 at 8:25 p.m. ET and can be seen on NFLN.
This will be the first meeting of the season for the division rivals. They split a pair of games during the regular season last year. Telvin Smith led the Jaguars defense in the last game against the Titans, totaling 10 tackles. Derrick Morgan led the way for the Tennessee defense, registering five tackles and two sacks.
The Jaguars, a three-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Tennessee visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 44 points.
Heading into Week 11 of league action, the Jaguars are 3-6 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Jacksonville is 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. Jacksonville has seen an increase in scoring in recent weeks when compared to its 21.3 points per game average. Over the past five games they’ve averaged 26 points per game. The Jaguars may capitalize on a weak Titans pass defense that allows 11.4 yards per pass. Turning to the Jaguars defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. When it comes to defending the run, Jacksonville is the best in the league, giving up 3.3 yards per rushing attempt. One of the keys to the game will be if the Jaguars can take advantage of the fumbling of the Titans, who rank close to the bottom of the league in fumbles lost with 1.1 per game. Keep an eye on Jacksonville to intensify focus during the second quarter of home games, when it averages a league-best 12.5 points.
As for their opponent, the Titans have a record of 4-5 ATS and 2-7 SU. In the previous five games, Tennessee has a record of 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. Tennessee can plan on throwing the ball regularly. Offenses have picked apart the pass defense of the Jaguars, which allows a completion percentage of 66.8%, 27th in the league. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Tennessee defense could excel if they take advantage of favorable matchups. Tennessee’s third-ranked pass defense has given its competition problems. Opponents have thrown for 214 yards per game against this scary bunch. When Tennessee’s defensive front gets going, it is an absolute force. This year, the Titans average three sacks per game, good enough for fourth in the league. The Titans knows how to quiet a crowd, averaging 8.5 points in the first quarter of road games, the highest average in the league. Special teams is an area of weakness for the Jaguars, giving up 99.9 return yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ten, ATS Winner – Ten, O/U – Over
Notes
Jacksonville is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 5 games.
Jacksonville is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games at home.
Jacksonville is 6-13-1 ATS in its last 20 games at home.
Jacksonville is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Tennessee.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Jacksonville’s last 11 games when playing Tennessee.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Jacksonville’s last 5 games when playing at home against Tennessee.
Jacksonville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tennessee.
Jacksonville is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tennessee.
Tennessee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Jacksonville.
Both teams are 1-2 SU when leading after three quarters.
Remarkably, Jacksonville is winless (0-5) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Jacksonville has provoked an average of 9.0 penalties on opponents over its last five games, but Tennessee is 2-1 SU this season when penalized nine or more times in a game.
The Tennessee pass defense is ranked third in the league, while the Jacksonville offensive passing attack is ranked 16th.
Jacksonville has given up 25.5 points per game at home this year, which ranks it only 22nd in the league. Tennessee has scored 24.0 points per game on the road (ranked 10th overall).
