NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars already felt pretty confident both in themselves and what they want for a franchise still searching for its first Super Bowl berth.
Adding a trio of defensive players at the NFL trade deadline, two with Super Bowl experience, has only boosted their belief in what's possible this season.
“We know that we’re going to have a shot,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. "We just got to keep playing well
and we got to keep winning. I think you can’t look too much into it because we still have the same job right in front of us, but I think these guys are going to help us for sure.”
The Jaguars (6-2) have won two straight and five of their past six to sit comfortably atop the AFC South with a three-game lead. After a 33-10 win at Baltimore, the Jaguars hit the road again for Tennessee having won seven of the past eight in this divisional series.
A win Sunday would be the fifth straight for Jacksonville in this series and give the Jaguars' their longest winning streak over their longtime rivals.
Lawrence isn't worried about defensive tackle Jordan Davis, safety Jessie Bates III and New Orleans nose tackle Davon Godchaux understanding the stakes against the Titans.
“They’ll know by the end of the week what it is and what they can expect when we walk out there Sunday,” Lawrence said.
The Titans (1-7) are rested coming off their bye. Yet they sit at the bottom of the AFC South losers of two straight coming off a 43-36 overtime loss at Cincinnati.
The challenge is even tougher with Tennessee trading its top two defensive starters away for draft picks in All-Pro tackle Jeffery Simmons and safety Amani Hooker, who left tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions.
First-year coach Robert Saleh said losing two starters to trades means the Titans have to respond: Next man up.
“What’s important is that there’s an opportunity for somebody else to step up and everyone in the locker room believes in that person," Saleh said.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward capped his rookie season starting his 17th game in Jacksonville only to leave early with an injured right shoulder. The Jaguars posted the biggest margin of victory of this series with a 41-7 win.
Now Ward is coming off his first 300-yard passing game, and Jaguars coach Liam Coen said so many times people are impatient with NFL quarterbacks and he can see the Titans giving Ward time to grow.
“We know he can create on his own, he can extend plays, he’s creative in and out of the pocket with arm angles, and he can run,” Coen said of Ward. "So, I think he’s probably hitting a stride right now.”
Jacksonville (6-2) at Tennessee (1-7)
When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX
Latest odds: Jaguars by 10 1/2.
Against the spread: Jaguars 5-3, Titans 4-4.
Last game: Jaguars won 33-10 at Ravens on Nov. 5, and Titans lost at Bengals 43-36 in OT on Nov. 1.
Last meeting: Jaguars beat the Titans 41-7 on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville.
Series record: Titans lead 35-28.
The Jaguars defense and the Titans offense. Jacksonville ranks second in the NFL in giving up just 15.1 points a game, and the Titans have climbed to 28th in averaging 18 points a game. Scoring has been a challenge for Tennessee, and the Titans now have put together three straight games with at least 24 points. They scored a season high in points going into their bye.
— The Jaguars have won four straight to match their longest winning streak in this rivalry and seven of the past eight.
— Jacksonville has the NFL's highest margin of victory at 19.7 points per game entering Week 10.
— The Jaguars rank fourth in scoring 28.6 points per game and have scored at least 30 in three straight.
— Jacksonville leads the AFC and is third in the NFL with 15 total takeaways and leads the NFL with a plus-9 turnover margin entering Week 10.
— Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence needs 246 yards passing to join Mark Brunell as the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 20,000 yards in franchise history.
— Ward threw for a career-high 304 yards in his most recent game. The franchise's most recent back-to-back 300-yard passing performances were by Matt Hasselbeck in Weeks 2-3 of the 2011 season.
— Titans RB Tony Pollard has rushed for five touchdowns over the past two games.
— The Titans have 48 total starts by players in their first or second seasons, which is fourth in the NFL.
— The Titans have nine takeaways combined in their past three games and tied Tampa Bay for the most over Weeks 6-8.
— DL Jacob Martin leads the Titans with a career-high 6 1/2 sacks.
— Titans LB Anthony Hill Jr. leads all rookies with 82 tackles.
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