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With two weeks left in the NFL regular season, a lot of teams are still fighting for a chance to play in the postseason, but for the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars, who won't be playing in the postseason, the final two games are basically a chance to evaluate their young players, in anticipation of the 2015 season.
Tennessee Titans (2-12) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12), Thursday, December 18, 8:30 PM. ET. NFL.
The Titans came into the season with high hopes, but couldn't really get their season on track, due to injuries and poor play at the quarterback position. 2011 first round draft pick Jake Locker, was expected to have a big season, after showing some flashes of brilliance last year, but was hurt for most of the season, forcing the Titans to turn to his backup Charlie Whitehurst, who went 1-2 as the starter, giving way to rookie Zack Mettenberger, who was unable to guide the team to a win as a starter, in six starts.
The Jaguars spent some money trying to improve their defense in the off-season, but it didn't make much of a difference, because they still have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The team also drafted Blake Bortles in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, but the rookie was unable to help the team win a lot of games, because of an offensive line that has given up a lot of sacks this season. The team also didn't get a lot of production from their running backs, which is something they will need to address in the off-season.
With Zack Mettenberger and Jake Locker done for the season due to injuries, the Titans will turn to Charlie Whitehurst once again, and they are hoping he can lead them to victory against the Jaguars, like he did earlier in the season, which was also the last game they won this year. He should be able to move the ball through the air against the Jaguars, because they have the 21st ranked pass defense in the league, and have given up a lot of yards through the air this year. Their running game hasn't done much this season, but they should also be able to run the ball well against the 27th ranked run defense.
The Jaguars are hoping Blake Bortles will be able to play in this game, because he suffered a sprained foot last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Even though he hasn't won two games this season, Bortles has shown flashes of brilliance, which means he can succeed in the NFL, but the team needs to surround him with the tools he needs to succeed in this league. The Jaguars shouldn't have any problems running the ball against the Titans, who have the worst ranked run defense in the NFL.
Game Line: The Jaguars are favored to win this game by 3 points, the Over/Under is 40.5 points.
Personal Pick: The Jaguars will win a close game at home against their AFC South rivals.
