Matching 3-5 rivals meet as Titans try to end four-game slide

Nashville, TN - Two AFC South rivals arrive at Nissan Stadium with identical records but different recent trajectories. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans are both 3-5 entering Week 10, while Tennessee is trying to stop a four-game losing streak that has erased the momentum of its Week 4 victory at Baltimore.

Jacksonville has alternated results over its past three games, losing to Houston, beating Indianapolis and then falling at Baltimore. The Jaguars are 2-3 across their five most recent games, compared with a 1-4 mark for the Titans over the same span. Tennessee has lost to Houston, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Cincinnati since its victory over the Ravens.

The matchup also puts two offenses searching for more consistent production against defenses that have allowed room to operate. Jacksonville averages 19.9 points per game, ranking 30th, and produces 329.3 total yards per game, ranking 26th. Tennessee is 30th in total offense at 302.5 yards per game and 31st in passing offense at 178.6 yards per game. The Titans have been slightly more productive on the scoreboard, averaging 22.1 points to rank 25th.

Trevor Lawrence leads Jacksonville’s passing game with 1,345 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions on 110-of-191 passing. His connection with Jakobi Meyers provides the Jaguars with a central element in the matchup. Meyers has 30 receptions for 539 yards and five touchdowns, giving Lawrence a productive option against a Tennessee pass defense that ranks 15th while allowing 251.4 yards per game.

Jacksonville’s ability to complement that passing game could be just as important. The Jaguars rank 28th in rushing offense at 108.3 yards per game, while the Titans are 21st against the run, allowing 147.3 yards per game. Joe Mixon has rushed 62 times for 240 yards, but he appears on Jacksonville’s injury report with a pulled groin. Lawrence is also listed with a knee cartilage tear. Their gameday availability has not been established, leaving the injury report as a significant variable for an offense seeking to improve on its No. 30 scoring ranking.

Tennessee’s approach presents a different statistical profile. The Titans average 123.9 rushing yards per game, ranking 17th, compared with their No. 31 passing ranking. Tony Pollard has 430 yards and one touchdown on 95 carries and will test a Jacksonville run defense that allows 133.9 yards per game, ranking 17th. Establishing production on the ground could help create manageable situations for Cam Ward and a passing offense looking for more efficiency.

Ward has completed 117 of 220 passes for 1,291 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Wan’Dale Robinson leads Tennessee’s featured receiving numbers with 21 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns. Jacksonville permits 254.1 passing yards per game, ranking 17th, and 388 total yards per game, ranking 18th. That sets up an opportunity for Tennessee to test the Jaguars through both phases despite its overall offensive ranking.

Defense may ultimately shape which offense is able to break through. The Titans allow 398.6 yards per game, ranking 21st in total defense, and surrender 28.9 points per game, ranking 22nd. Jacksonville gives up 29.3 points per game, ranking 26th. Neither offense enters with a high scoring ranking, but both defenses have allowed more than 28 points per game, creating a matchup in which finishing drives could carry added weight.

The injury reports deepen that uncertainty. Beyond Lawrence and Mixon, Jacksonville has several defenders dealing with injuries, including Travis Hunter with a broken toe, Arik Armstead with a torn labrum and Travon Walker with a pulled groin. Tennessee’s Keldric Faulk is listed with a broken finger. None of those listings establishes gameday availability, but they remain relevant questions as each team prepares for a division opponent.

Tennessee also owns the result from the clubs’ previous meeting, a 23-16 victory at Jacksonville in Week 8 of Season 35. That outcome provides rivalry context without determining how this season’s matchup will unfold, particularly with both teams now carrying matching records and different personnel leading their offenses.

For Jacksonville, the central challenge is turning Lawrence’s passing production and Meyers’ receiving output into more points while finding room against Tennessee’s No. 15 pass defense. For the Titans, the task is to build around Pollard and give Ward opportunities against a Jacksonville defense allowing 29.3 points per game. The team that finds the steadier offensive formula will be positioned to change the direction of its season in this AFC South meeting.