The Titans (3-4) host the Jaguars (2-4) on Thursday Night Football in a game that, let's be honest, is anything but highly anticipated. But we applaud the schedule makers for their optimism; if they're anything like the media, this was supposed to be the year the Jags put it all together.
Jacksonville had Blake Bortles, the 2014 third overall pick and the franchise quarterback. He was coming off a sophomore season that included 4,428 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. The organization also spent the offseason retooling the roster with young, fast, physical players that would reverse the pattern of futility dating back to 2008.
Meanwhile, the Titans have had their own run of terrible football. The good news: They actually went 9-7 as recently as 2011. The bad news: They combined for five wins in 2014 and 2015. And it was that 2-14 effort in 2014 that put them in position to draft Marcus Mariota who, like Bortles, has shown glimpses of promise, but continues to struggle with consistency.
But, hey, that's why you play the games. It's not a glamorous matchup -- never mind national television, we're talking regional action -- but the Titans have a chance to get to 4-4 and a win will put them a half-game behind the division-leading Texans, easily one of the worst teams in professional sports history with a winning record halfway through a season. And if the Jags win? They'll move to 3-4, just a single game behind the Texans.
How ridiculous is the AFC South?
Here are the standings:
- Texans - 4-3
- Colts - 3-4
- Titans - 3-4
- Jaguars 2-4
But according to Football Outsides' metrics, here's how the teams rank through seven weeks:
- Titans - 20th overall (11th offense, 17th defense)
- Jaguars - 23rd overall (29th, 11th)
- Colts - 24th overall (14th, 31st)
- Texans - 30th overall (32nd, 12th)
Yep, you read that right, on a play-by-play basis compared to every other team, the Texans rank 30th, which is good for dead last in the league's worst division. Just something to keep in mind as we reach the midway point in the season, especially if the Titans beat the Jaguars on Thursday night.
Same holds for the Jaguars, though Bortles has struggled so mightily this season that fans are already wondering if he should be benched. It could be worse, of course; this could be the Texans, who gave Brock Osweiler $72 million to watch him throw 3-yard passes on 5-yard routes one week after the next.
The quickest solution, in either case: Winning.
"If a team loses for a while, I bet everybody's probably pretty frustrated," Bortles said this week. "I was fortunate enough to figure out at a young age that fans don't like players. They like winning. ... You know that they're going to cheer for you when you're winning, and want you to sign autographs and take pictures. And when you're losing, they're going to boo you."
The booing might continue for at least another week -- all eight CBSSports.com experts have the Titans beating the Jags straight up, and six experts covering the 3.5 point spread.
CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco's pick
The Jaguars are coming off a bad home loss, so the short week could be good for them. They are playing good defense. It's the quarterback who needs to pick it up. The Titans can run it on offense, but the Jaguars are good against the run, even after losing nose Roy Miller. Even so, the Jaguars have issues, but it will be close.
Prisco's final score: Titans 24, Jaguars 23
Our prediction
The Titans are the best team in a dreadful division and they'll make quick work of a Jaguars team that struggles to find its identity. Mariota will make a few flash plays, but the running game and the defense will carry the night.
Our final score: Titans 21, Jaguars 13
