NASHVILLE – The Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at six things to watch in the contest:
Cam Momentum
Titans quarterback Cam Ward has given fans more reasons to be optimistic of late, because his performances have improved. Ward has avoided turnovers, he's picked up first downs with his legs, and he's made some impressive throws, including some Houdini-like plays after escaping pressure. But there's plenty of room for Ward, and this offense, to grow. And, let's face it, it's been feast or famine sometimes from drive to drive. Case in point: The Titans are averaging 8.75 plays per scoring drive this season, which is fifth highest in the NFL. But that average drops to 4.66 in their non-scoring drives, and there have been way too many of those.
Run the Ball Better
There are plenty of reasons why Tennessee's run game hasn't been better – blocking has been inconsistent, the backs have missed some holes, the opposing defenses have been formidable. If the Titans are going to make more strides on offense, they're going to have to figure out how to be better running the football. The Titans have rushing totals of 65, 39, 88, 113, 58, and 64 in their last six games, and Ward's running accounted for 37 of the 64 yards against Seattle. Running back Tony Pollard is averaging just 32.3 rushing yards per game over the last six games after averaging 65.5 in Weeks 1-5. The Titans need to figure things out here, but it won't be easy – the Jaguars have allowed a league-low 83.7 rush yards per game.
Chim Dike Magic
Titans rookie Chimere Dike has brought magic back to the return game. The elusive Dike returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown last week vs the Seahawks, when he became the fifth player in Titans/Oilers history with multiple punt return TDs in a season and first since Darius Reynaud in 2012. Dike is averaging 23.8 yards per punt return, and he's on pace for the best single-season mark by any player in the Super Bowl era (min. 10 returns). Can Dike keep it going on Sunday? The Titans could use another spark.
Go Gunnar
Across the board, the team's rookie class has provided a spark. Last Sunday, five of the team's nine draft picks started the game. I've mentioned tight end Gunnar Helm's name in here a bunch, making the case on why the team should get him the ball more. Helm led the Titans with six catches and 51 receiving yards last week, when he became the third rookie tight to lead the Titans/Oilers outright (no ties) in both receptions and receiving yards in a game, joining Jimmie Giles (9/25/1977) and Chig Okonkwo (12/4/2022). I say keep him on the field more, and target him more often. Will the Titans continue to utilize one of their biggest matchup problems?
C'mon Defense
The Titans will face a Jacksonville team that's averaging 30.3 points per game since their Week 8 bye, with the Jaguars scoring at least 27 points in four straight games. RB Travis Etienne Jr. leads the Jaguars with 975 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns, while quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 2,407 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. But these Jaguars aren't perfect, and the Titans need to force mistakes, something they couldn't do last week. Lawrence has the third most interceptions in the league (11), and he's thrown at least one interception in the last four games. The Jaguars also have the league-worst 29 dropped passes, per Next Gen Stats.
Home Losing Streak/Draft Position
We used to use this last graph to discuss playoff odds, but the Titans have played their way out of that conversation. So, we'll discuss some other things at stake. The Titans have now lost 10 straight home games dating back to the team's win over the Patriots last November. Can the Titans finally put an end to that ugly streak? For those who love the draft, the Titans remain on track to pick first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft – these Jaguars were the last franchise to pick first overall in consecutive seasons, in 2021 and 2022. A lot is at stake depending on a win/loss on Sunday.
