Jaguars vs Titans Predictions: Jags in Must Win Game
Jacksonville Can Clinch AFC South Title
The Jacksonville Jaguars will look to take their second straight AFC South title with a win at Tennessee. But the Titans aren’t going to be pushovers. This could well be the final game in Tennessee uniforms for Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. So the Titans will have plenty of emotion. They may not have Will Levis, so Tannehill could get one last start in front of the home fans. Trevor Lawrence returned to practice Wednesday. The Jags are hopeful he can go on Sunday. The Jaguars vs Titans predictions have Jacksonville favored by 5.5 points and the total is 40. The Jags are -220 on the moneyline.
Jaguars vs Titans 
Day/Time:
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Jacksonville Ends Losing Skid
The Jaguars put themselves in position to win the division by beating Carolina 26-0 last week. The victory ended a four-game losing streak and muddled the NFL playoff picture even more.
Jacksonville, Indianapolis or Houston can all win the division title. But for the Jaguars, it’s simply win this game and become division champions. Jacksonville won the first game between the teams 34-14. The Jags rushed for 128 yards, the last time they ran for 100 prior to last week.
For this season, Jacksonville is scoring 22.3 points per game against teams allowing 20.7 points. The running game is averaging 96.3 yards a game and just 3.6 yards per carry. Jacksonville is 7-1 straight-up and against the spread when rushing for more than 100 yards.
But the Jaguars have relied on Trevor Lawrence to do the bulk of the offensive work. Jacksonville averages 240.4 passing yards per game. The Jags throw 36 times a game and run 27 times.
Jacksonville is a little better than average on defense. The Jaguars allow 21.4 points to teams scoring 22.3 points. Jacksonville doesn’t shine against the run or the pass. But they don’t stink, either. The Jags are pretty average all the way around when it comes to defense. There’s no real strength or weakness there.
Titans Ready For Changing of the Guard
It’s unlikely the Titans will resign Henry or Tannehill, so this should be their last home game in Tennessee. The two are respected by teammates, so the effort will be there. You can’t say that about every 5-11 team heading into the final NFL game of the season. It’s unsure who will start at quarterback for Tennessee.
Levis wants to play. But he says that every week, whether he’s able to go or not. There isn’t a huge difference between the two. Tannehill completes a higher percentage of passes, but has more interceptions and fewer TD passes.
The Titans have struggled to throw the ball this season regardless of the quarterback. Tennessee averages just 182.2 passing yards. That’s a big reason why Tennessee is scoring just 17.3 points per game.
The running game isn’t bad, averaging 104.4 yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry. But you’re not going to win many games on the NFL football schedule when you can’t throw for 200 yards.
Tennessee hasn’t been bad on the defensive side. The Titans have been hurt a little by the team’s -7 turnover differential. But the team is allowing 21.7 points to teams averaging 22.2 points. The run defense has been pretty good, allowing 3.8 yards per carry. The pass defense is slightly worse than average. But not too bad.
What to Expect
The Jaguars vs Titans predictions are looking for the Jaguars to come out and throw the football. When your season is on the line you rely on your best NFL players to carry you. For the Jaguars, that’s Lawrence, banged-up or not. If the passing game is working, then Jacksonville can start to mix in some running plays.
ESPN’s NFL playoff predictions give Jacksonville and 82% chance of making the playoffs and a 70% chance of winning the division.
The Titans have played better at home this season. But they’ve lost their last three home games by three points each. Tennessee won’t go down without a fight. They’ll look to Henry to get the job done on the ground and throw when the situation calls for a pass.
Who to Bet On?
It’s hard to argue about the point spread on this game. It could be slightly inflated, but that’s typically what happens when one team is in a must win spot. The sportsbook knows which NFL team will get the majority of the bets. So, you’ll pay a slight premium to back that team.
The total on the game could be a shade high, but the teams scored 48 combined points when they met in November. That total was 40.5, so this one is pretty much in line.
The Jaguars vs Titans predictions expect the Titans to keep the game close. Tennessee may not win the game, but it can keep within 5.5 points, so take the Titans +5.5 points.
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