Titans back home hoping to continue Music City dominance over Jaguars

Jacksonville (2-10) at Tennessee (3-9)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Titans by 3 1/2.

Against the spread: Jaguars 6-5-1; Titans 2-10.

Series record: Tennessee leads 35-24.

Last meeting: Titans beat the Jaguars 28-20 on Jan. 7, 2024.

Last week: Jaguars lost to the Texans 23-20; Titans lost to the Commanders 42-19.

Jaguars offense: overall (28), rush (25), pass (25), scoring (25)

Jaguars defense: overall (32), rush (24), pass (32), scoring (31)

Titans offense: overall (29), rush (20, pass (30), scoring (28)

Titans defense: overall (2), rush (16), pass (2), scoring (27)

Turnover differential: Jaguars minus-9; Titans plus-13

Jaguars player

to watch

DE Josh Hines-Allen is closing in on the franchise sack record. Hines-Allen needs 4 1/2 more to break the franchise record of 55 held by Tony Brackens. Hines-Allen has at least half a sack in four consecutive games against Tennessee, which has given up 43 sacks in 2024.

Titans player to watch

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He has eight touchdowns on just 20 receptions after not catching a single pass in the first month of the season. He has scored a TD on 40% of his receptions. That TD rate ties him for first with Marc Boerigter of Kansas City in 2002 of the 9,040 players with 20 or more catches in a season since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Seven of those eight TD catches have come in his past eight games.

Key matchup

Titans QB Will Levis against a Jaguars defense that has struggled mightily against the pass. Levis is having perhaps the best month in his second season after sitting out three games with a sprained, right throwing shoulder. He has seven TD passes with only two interceptions in this span. He has thrown for 960 yards with a 101.4 passer rating.

Key injuries

Jaguars: CB Tyson Campbell (thigh), P Logan Cooke (knee) and LS Ross Matiscik (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday but are hoping to get healthy in time to play. The team signed a punter and a long snapper to the practice squad just in case.

Titans: CB Chido Awuzie (groin) was activated off injured reserve Saturday and should play for the first time since Sept. 22. CB Roger McCreary (shoulder), LB Kenneth Murray (hamstring) and DT T'Vondre Sweat (shoulder) did not practice all week and are questionable. CB Jarvis Brownlee (hip) is questionable after an injury Thursday that limited him at practice. The Titans also placed G Logan Bruss on injured reserve Saturday.

Series notes

These teams started playing each other 30 seasons ago with the Jaguars joining the NFL as an expansion team and have been division rivals since. The Titans swept all three from the Jaguars in the 1999 season, including the AFC championship game for the franchise's lone Super Bowl berth. They've dominated the series in recent years with Jacksonville's 36-22 win the Jaguars' first in the span of 10 trips to Nashville. The Jaguars finished off the 2022 season sweep in Jacksonville to keep the Titans from a third straight AFC South title and helped kick off a string of three consecutive losing seasons for Tennessee.

Stats and stuff

The Jaguars have lost five in a row and 15 of their past 18 games. ... Jacksonville is 1-7 in one-score games, including four of the past five losses. ... RB Travis Etienne needs 128 yards to pass Leonard Fournette (2,631) for fourth on the franchise's career rushing list. He would then trail Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew and James Stewart. ... Evan Engram is one of three tight ends in NFL history with 40 or more catches in each of his first eight seasons, joining Jeremy Shockey and George Kittle. ... WR Brian Thomas Jr. ranks third among rookies with 765 yards. His 16.6 yards per catch ranks first among rookies. He is the only rookie with multiple 50-plus-yard receptions in 2024. ... Levis threw for 212 yards and two TDs last week with no interceptions. He has thrown 2 TD passes in three of his past four games. He had a 143.8 passer rating, throwing for two TDs and no interceptions and 158 yards in his only career start against the Jaguars last season. ... WR Calvin Ridley will be playing against his previous team for the first time since signing with the Titans as a free agent in March. He has had at least 55 yards receiving in five of his past six games. He had 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight TDs last season with the Jaguars. ... RB Tony Pollard led the Titans with 68 scrimmage yards last week and has had at least 60 scrimmage yards in eight of his past nine games. ... RB Tyjae Spears had a career-high 2 TDs in his previous game against the Jaguars. ... Two-time Pro Bowl DL Jeffery Simmons had a career-high nine tackles last week. ... OLB Arden Key had 1 1/2 sacks last week. ... CB Daryl Worley led the Titans with a career-high 17 tackles last week. ... S Amani Hooker had a season-high seven tackles and his fourth interception of the season last week.

Fantasy tip

Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo. The Jaguars have struggled to cover tight ends all season, and Levis has gotten into a good rhythm over the past month with Okonkwo, who had the longest catch of his career on a 70-yard TD on Nov. 24.

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