Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Staff predictions for Week 3

Our staff has made its predictions for the Week 3 game between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars will meet on Thursday Night Football in what will be a road game for the boys in two-tone blue.

Last week, the Titans were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts, which came as a surprise to our staff, who overwhelmingly picked Tennessee to beat Indy.

So, how does our staff see things in Week 3?

Will Lomas (Co-expert)

The Titans win when I predict them to lose and lose when I predict them to win. So, I am going to predict that there is a loss on Thursday. The Tennessee Titans run game with Derrick Henry has been phenomenal, but I expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to load the box and leave Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye out in man coverage all game.

In what I expect to be a low-scoring game, I will say that it makes sense for a 17-14 Jaguars win with Gardner Minshew eating up free yards given to him by the new conservative defense run by Dean Pees, with him running and throwing for a TD. Let’s hope the reverse jinx holds.

Final score prediction: Jaguars 17, Titans 14

Michael Moraitis (Co-expert)

This game is going to be an offensive struggle for both teams, and while I’d like to see Marcus Mariota rebound in this game, I think this Jags defense is legit and this is not the spot for the Titans offense to have the bounce-back game it needs. Look for the Jags to get consistent pressure all game against the Titans’ lackluster group upfront.

With that said, the Jags will have their own issues scoring points, and this Titans defense will create at least a few turnovers that set the Titans offense up with short fields and enough easy points to go into Jacksonville and grab a win on Thursday night.

Final score prediction: Titans 19, Jaguars 10

John Lowell (Contributor)

The Tennessee Titans have a chance to get back on track Thursday night as they travel to Jacksonville. The Jaguars are a mess right now, and although they have a good defense, is it really still considered elite? Their superstar All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey wants out of town, and it looks like he’ll be traded on Friday, post-game.

Also down their QB, Nick Foles, the Jaguars will rely on an inefficient RB Leonard Fournette, and the pride of Washington State, QB Gardner Minshew. The Titans will find offensive success on the ground, and the defense will rally to their Week 2 loss in a big way, scoring a touchdown in this one.

Final score prediction: Titans 26, Jaguars 13

Ravi Konjeti (Contributor)

The Tennessee Titans are coming off of a tough loss to the hated rival Indianapolis Colts. While the Titans defense has shown that they are the real deal, the offense has struggled under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

For the Titans to pull a victory against a vaunted Jaguars defense, the Titans will need to control the time of possession and win the running game. Derrick Henry will be the key as he was in last year’s matchup against the Jaguars when he put up his iconic 99-yard touchdown run. Henry needs to get 20+ carries and keep the Jaguars offense on the bench.

If the Titans can score early and kill clock, then they can force the Jaguars into a pass-heavy offense. The Jaguars would prefer to run clock and keep Fournette in the offense, but being down early will require rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew to helm the offense. The Titans defense has been terrific to date and I see no reason why they would take a step back. Mariota is 6-2 versus Jacksonville in his career and there is no reason to think that it would slow down now.

Final score prediction: Titans 31, Jaguars 17

Shaun Calderon (Contributor)

The Tennessee Titans laid an egg on what was supposed to be a special Sunday afternoon in Nashville. Luckily for them, they have the opportunity to get that sour taste out of their mouth right away as they head to Jacksonville on Thursday night.

Marcus Mariota has caused a civil war among the fans following his Week 2 performance on Sunday. He tends to play good in prime time games more often than not, and I expect him to do the same in this one. Derrick Henry will be a workhorse in this one as he usually is against the Jaguars. And defensive coordinator Dean Pees will be licking his chops at getting the opportunity to play rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew. Expect exotic blitzes on the rookie QB early and often.

When the Titans and Jaguars take the field, it will have been 999 days since the Jags last beat the Titans (December 24th, 2016). Tennessee has an opportunity to extend that streak over a thousand days with a victory. With all of the dysfunction going on in Jacksonville right now, I expect the Titans to pull away in this one.

Final score prediction: Titans 24, Jaguars 6