Jaguars vs Titans Pick Article

VirginiaCavs

CTG Super Moderator
Staff member
Jaguars vs Titans Week 3 NFL Odds & Predictions


Tennessee Titans (1-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

When/Where: Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, TIAA Bank Field

Odds: Titans -2, O/U 40

TV: NFL Network


In this series between rivals Jacksonville and Tennessee, the Titans have had the upper hand, winning the last four meetings both straight-up and ATS. Mike Vrabel was Tennessee’s coach for the last two games while Doug Marrone was Jacksonville’s for all four.

After watching Sunday’s game, it seems clear that Marrone (bluntly nicknamed "Moron“ by much of the fanbase) is on his way out. Myles Jack, who was ejected from the season opener against Kansas City for fighting after a play, was still team captain. Jalen Ramsey, who put his hands on Marrone during an outburst on the sideline, was’t disciplined.

Currently, the team doesn’t have any sense of personal accountability, nor do the players seem to respect Marrone. Marrone is struggling to discipline his players, who collectively have the second-most penalties, with 19, and have the third-most penalties since he became head coach.

Marrone hardly seems like the right guy to help young players develop. No other unit on the team is younger and less experienced than the offense, which still seems as hapless and pedestrian as it did during Jacksonville’s 5-11 record last season. In comparing every team's active roster, Jacksonville ranks last or second-to-last in career passing yards, career rushing yards, and career receiving yards.

A significant portion of Jacksonville’s penalties comes from its offensive line, which features a left tackle in Will Richardson who barely has experience at the position, and a rookie at right tackle in Jawaan Taylor, who negated a huge passing play with a holding call.

This group failed to give running back Leonard Fournette any room to run, especially up the middle. Quarterback Gardner Minshew also lacked time to throw, which explains a few of his incompletions towards wide-open targets. Although, with his occasional tendency to hold on to the ball too long, he has to take part of the blame for the four sacks and six quarterback hits that he suffered.

Minshew promises to face a lot of pressure once again from a Tennessee defense that has accrued eight sacks through two games. He’ll need to hang onto the ball when pressure comes, as one of his three fumbles on Sunday helped Houston score its only touchdown. This year, the Titans are showing lessened necessity to blitz as they create more pressure with a four-man pass rush. Expect them to give Minshew many different looks so that thoughts about where Tennessee’s rush will come from distract him from trying to navigate Tennessee’s coverage.

In sum, this year’s rendition of Jacksonville shows nothing different in a positive sense from recent Jaguar renditions that scored 10 points or fewer in these teams’ last three meetings and 16 points or fewer in their last four.

On the other side of the ball, Jacksonville does still possess a pair of elite corners in Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Buoye, although the latter was ruled 'out‘ prior to Sunday’s contest in Houston and his hip injury has him listed as ‚questionable‘ for Thursday night.

But Tennessee is not a team to lineup with three wide receivers and pass the ball all evening. It lines up relatively rarely with 11 personnel and is one of the most frequent rushing teams by run play percentage.

This style bodes ill for a Jacksonville defense that suffers especially against the run and most especially against power running backs. Jacksonville’s front seven is spearheaded by speedsters like former safety Myles Jack. But it’s not the strongest group. Houston’s Carlos Hyde, for example, accrued 90 rushing yards on 20 carries, although his YPC average was definitely higher earlier in the game before Houston’s offense became more predictable with a comfortable lead. Like last year, Jacksonville’s run defense ranks middle-of-the-road in opposing YPC.

In terms of total, Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota is not one to push the ball downfield. Against the Colts, for example, two of his 28 pass attempts exceeded 15 yards. I expect Tennessee’s offense to grind and plod its way to victory, while it —and no less Jacksonville’s offense — lacks the firepower to exceed the posted total.


Picks: Titans -1.5 & under 40
 
Interesting game. It’s basically the Jags season. They go 0-3 it’s a wrap, and Tenn had the momentum of winning at Clev to come home on a day they honor Eddie George and the late great Air McNair, and had the game in hand until one big play by the colts late and a very lackluster 2 min drill by Mariota. Not sure why you have 3rd and 2, not even in FG range, and you clock it instead of running a play, in essence just giving you the 4th down to get the first, which was incomplete, instead of taking two cracks at it. Not having Lewan hurts, but when the Titans won games last year they fed the beast. Henry was the best RB closing out last season, they need him w 20+ carries a game. The passing game is still a work in progress. Corey Davis is inconsistent, AJ Brown is a rookie, and Humphries (FA) and Walker (injury) still finding their timing. I’d like to see them get Marcus on the edge more, not always to run, but use his legs to throw downfield. He’s not a pure drop back passer. As a fan, I’d pick tenn, but I can’t play it after watching today. The d rarely will give up a ton of points, but their offense rarely blows people out. The clev game was deceiving, it was 15-13 then clev started turning it over.
 
Interesting game. It’s basically the Jags season. They go 0-3 it’s a wrap, and Tenn had the momentum of winning at Clev to come home on a day they honor Eddie George and the late great Air McNair, and had the game in hand until one big play by the colts late and a very lackluster 2 min drill by Mariota. Not sure why you have 3rd and 2, not even in FG range, and you clock it instead of running a play, in essence just giving you the 4th down to get the first, which was incomplete, instead of taking two cracks at it. Not having Lewan hurts, but when the Titans won games last year they fed the beast. Henry was the best RB closing out last season, they need him w 20+ carries a game. The passing game is still a work in progress. Corey Davis is inconsistent, AJ Brown is a rookie, and Humphries (FA) and Walker (injury) still finding their timing. I’d like to see them get Marcus on the edge more, not always to run, but use his legs to throw downfield. He’s not a pure drop back passer. As a fan, I’d pick tenn, but I can’t play it after watching today. The d rarely will give up a ton of points, but their offense rarely blows people out. The clev game was deceiving, it was 15-13 then clev started turning it over.

Same deal with week 2 in 2017. that second half featured Titans special teams and forced turnovers, leading to 37 total points. Last year 30 points but Jax was in quit mode.
 
Same deal with week 2 in 2017. that second half featured Titans special teams and forced turnovers, leading to 37 total points. Last year 30 points but Jax was in quit mode.

Basically Tenn keys off Henry and the D to win games. When they get away from that they lose. Mariota needs to show more fire. He’s gotta win these games if he wants to get paid
 
Basically Tenn keys off Henry and the D to win games. When they get away from that they lose. Mariota needs to show more fire. He’s gotta win these games if he wants to get paid

They would be insane to pay that dude, he nowhere close to a franchise qb imo. Of course I don’t see them being smart like they should have and started drafting them the last few years tryin to find a better one in the middle rounds either. Hell, I think tannenhill could be at least as good for this team for real.
 
They would be insane to pay that dude, he nowhere close to a franchise qb imo. Of course I don’t see them being smart like they should have and started drafting them the last few years tryin to find a better one in the middle rounds either. Hell, I think tannenhill could be at least as good for this team for real.

I agree with you. He shows flashes of being accurate downfield and of course using his legs making big plays, but not nearly enough production, and he’s always missing games, including missing the game vs Indy year which was a play in game. Tannehill if healthy might work but he’s always hurt too. I wish they’d take a flier on Kaep.
 
I would love to know what Marrone said to Ramsey that got the other two guys off the bench like they were going to fight him
 
I would love to know what Marrone said to Ramsey that got the other two guys off the bench like they were going to fight him

What no the other two guys rose up to split M and R apart. It looked like the one was trying to calm M down and get him away while M was saying something like „but he can‘t do that.“ Ramsey‘s teammates had also been doing to Ramsey that palm thing you know where you point your hands to the ground and move them up and down so as to say take it down a notch.
 
You may well be correct but I feel Marrone definitely crossed some sort of line. Because 25 and 26 get up and they weren't even looking in that direction previously. And 25 points to Marrone as if to say get back over where you belong.. Either way, who knows what's going on. Would have liked Marrone to give Minshew the ball on the 2 pt try and let him make it happen.
 
Wanting to play and the organization and coaching staff allowing it and two different things.

You think they rally behind this and show up, or they gonna quit? Lol

I'm not sure it is for this team (lol) or else Jalen would've been disciplined after touching Maronne and Jack wouldn't have been captain after his absurd behavior against the Chiefs.

Lol your guess is as good as mine, amigo. Can't say the possibility of attitude problems doen't linger in my mind when deciding on a play for this game (which I think is pretty uncontroversial anyways).
 
Back
Top