The Tennessee Titans (1-7) will host their AFC South rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2), at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. The teams will kick off at 12:00 p.m. CDT.
Although the Titans are coming off their bye week, they enter this matchup banged up and have already ruled out five starters, including two starting linebackers. Tennessee is looking for growth in the second half of the season, but starts out with a tough test.
The Jaguars are riding high and are surging behind Trevor Lawrence, who is playing some of the best football of his career. The AFC South leaders will be looking to pad their lead and keep distancing themselves from the pack.
Ahead of their meeting, we sat down with Jaguars Wire Managing Editor Paul Bretl and picked his brain
in this week's edition of Behind Enemy Lines.
How quickly will the new defensive additions integrate and impact the game? Will Bates, Davis, and Godchaux be ready to contribute immediately against the Titans, or will there be a learning curve?
Bretl: Bates and Davis won't be playing on Sunday. Neither player had a bye week with their previous teams, so the Jaguars want to give them one this week so they don't have to play 18 regular-season games in a row. Godchaux will play and could potentially start at nose tackle. While he's learning a new scheme, I would think that's a position and role as a run-stuffer where he can hit the ground running pretty quickly.
Can Trevor Lawrence continue his strong play and stay in the MVP conversation against a struggling Titans defense?
Lawrence has been playing really good football. Having a second offseason in Liam Coen's scheme has helped him take another step forward this year. He's accurate, making good decisions, and in complete command of the offense, which starts pre-snap at the line of scrimmage. This has been an explosive Jaguars' offense as well.
Will the Jaguars’ top-ranked defense dominate Cam Ward and the Titans’ offense, or can Tennessee generate enough to stay within striking distance?
The Jaguars' defense does a lot of things well, but it excels at stopping the run and creating takeaways. A stout run game keeps the opponent in predictable long down-and-distance situations, where the defense often has the upper hand. This defense also seems to be well-positioned around the ball to make plays. Just like last season, those factors continue to be differentiators for this unit.
How will injuries and depth issues affect the Jaguars’ availability and game plan? Will key contributors be limited or out, and how does that shape the offensive and defensive plans against a division rival?
Center Robert Hainsey is questionable with a concussion. If he can't go, the Jaguars will turn to second-year center Jonah Monheim. When called upon in the past, Monheim has held his own, but Hainsey's experience at that position is valuable. Without Bates playing and Eric Murray on IR, the Jaguars will likely turn to a combination of Kaevon Merriweather and Rayuan Lane to play next to Antonio Johnson. Godchaux's presence will give the defensive tackle depth a needed boost without DaVon Hamilton.
Who is one under-the-radar player that could make a significant impact against the Titans? And finally, a prediction?
LB Ventrell Miller has been really good this season. Against the run, as a blitzer, and in coverage, he brings a well-rounded skill set to that position. Jaguars 27 - Titans 20
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Behind Enemy Lines
