Three Keys: How Jaguars Can Take Down Titans for 5th Straight Time
The positive of playing division rivals twice in a season is teams are able to understand the opponent’s system and play style. For the Jaguars, they will become incredibly familiar with that of the Titans over the next three weeks.
Jacksonville (6-2) will travel to Tennessee on Sunday before taking on the Titans (1-7) again two weeks later. The Jaguars have defeated the Titans four straight times and in seven of the last eight meetings. A win would also mark Liam Coen’s 20th with the franchise, the fastest a head coach would reach that total since Matt LeFleur with Green Bay in 2019-20.
Here are three keys to how Jacksonville can extend the winning streak to five games and take down its AFC South foe.
Trevor Lawrence Has Potential to Expose the Titans’ Secondary
The Titans opened the season on a five-game losing streak and their sole win came on the road against the Colts on Oct. 18. Over the course of its tumultuous 1-7 start, Tennessee has allowed the league’s second-most passing yards per game with 258.3. The total is just short of Detroit, which has allowed 260.9 per outing.
Now, Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence faces the depleted Tennessee secondary and has a solid chance to succeed Sunday. Lawrence has tossed 18 touchdowns, the fourth-most in the league, but second among quarterbacks who have played in eight games. He has had a passing touchdown in all but one contest this season (Sept. 20 vs. Denver).
The Jaguars averaged 28 points per game and have dominated their opponents through the first eight games of the year, posting a league-best plus-108 point differential. Lawrence has been dicing opposing defenses and doing so at an efficient clip. His 8.6 yards per attempt is tied for first in the NFL and his 111.7 passer rating is No. 2.
“I think in our minds, we always feel like the favorites,” Lawrence said. “We feel like we can beat anybody. That’s the mindset every week, and that’s no disrespect to the opponent, we are just preparing to play our best game Sunday and that’s all we’re thinking about.”
Lawrence has averaged 262.5 yards in his eight career contests against Tennessee, and has not thrown an interception against it since January 2024.
Dominate at the Line of Scrimmage
The Jaguars had gone 24 consecutive games, spanning back to January 2025, without allowing a 75-yard rusher. That was until Ravens running back Justice Hill finished with 85 yards on nine carries, including a 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville’s dominant 33-10 Thursday Night Football win on Nov. 5.
Now, the Jaguars stand at No. 5 in the league, allowing an average of 89.3 rushing yards per game. They held Ravens running back Derrick Henry to 57 yards on 17 carries, and Hill had 20 yards before his touchdown run. They had also allowed a 50-yard rusher only once in the seven games before their win in Baltimore.
Jacksonville now faces a Titans team that has generated much of its offense from the running back position. Tony Pollard, Tennessee’s veteran rusher, has gained more than 100 yards in each of its last two games. He posted 129 yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland, his first multi-score game since Dec. 7, 2025, and 117 yards and two scores against Cincinnati.
Pollard was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice but sat out Thursday with a finger injury. He is expected to suit up for Tennessee on Sunday and will captain a backfield that averages just shy of 100 yards per game.
The Jaguars acquired defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux on Monday, a day before Tuesday’s trade deadline, further bolstering the defensive line down the stretch of the season. Travon Walker has three sacks and Josh Hines-Allen has 1.5, and both are a force in the backfield. They will lead the way against Pollard in Sunday’s division game in Nashville.
Continue to Force Turnovers
The Jaguars have had at least three takeaways in nine games since 2025, marking the most in the NFL in the span. They have recorded three such games this year, continuing their defensive dominance.
Jacksonville reeled in two interceptions and recovered a fumble against Baltimore in Week 9. Cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis each picked off Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano, marking the 10th and 11th interceptions of the year for Jacksonville.
The Jaguars’ plus-nine turnover differential continues to top the league standings and they will look to top a Titans team who has 12 giveaways this year.
Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward threw seven interceptions in his rookie season, and has already nearly matched the total with five. The Titans nearly took down the Bengals behind Ward’s first 300-yard game of his young career, but lost in overtime.
“I think he’s seeing the field really well,” Campanile said of Ward. “I think he understands what the defense is trying to do and understands how he’s putting them under stress. So, I think they’ve done a great job with him offensively, and I think their offense has continued to get better, as is evidence of the last few games they played.”
Ward has topped the 200-passing yard mark once prior to the Bengals contest and is averaging 185.3 yards per game. He has also thrown just six touchdowns in his second season as a pro.
The teams kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday at Nissan Stadium. The game will be on Fox and coverage will be on WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM.
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
