Just a week after upsetting the Baltimore Ravens, the Jacksonville Jaguars found themselves on the receiving end of a blowout against the surging Detroit Lions in Week 13. Now, the Jaguars will try to bounce back as they face the Tennessee Titans on the road in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season. A win here will be huge as the Titans are in first place in the AFC South. If Jacksonville wins, they can go past the Colts for second place in this division. Here are our Jaguars Week 14 predictions as they take on the Titans.
The Jaguars had a poor performance in their previous game against the Lions, losing 40-14. Not surprisingly, they are not heavily favored against the Titans in this critical Week 14 game. The Titans actually also had a bad outing last week, losing 35-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles. They had a season-low 209 yards of total offense and allowed the Eagles to amass 453 yards. This was also the Titans' fourth straight game with less than 90 rushing yards.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Jaguars in their Week 14 game against the Titans.
Titans Week@tech_mahindra | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/OpxXaEVZF3
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 8, 2022
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4. Evan Engram goes for 50+ yards
In Week 13, Jacksonville TE Evan Engram played against the Lions and had his most productive game in weeks. He caught five passes for just 30 yards despite being targeted seven times. He did, however, score a touchdown for only the second time this year.
In Week 14, Engram will face off against the Titans, who have given up the fifth most receiving yards to tight ends while also allowing the 12th most tight end receptions.
During last week's game, Engram was second in receptions, receiving yards, and targets to Christian Kirk. This was unusual for the veteran tight end, who only scored his second touchdown of the season late in the third quarter. In the last eight games, Engram has had multiple catches in six of them. However, he has only exceeded 50 receiving yards in three of those games. He should go above 50 yards here, though.
3. Christian Kirk collects 100+ yards
Jaguars WR Christian Kirk had a strong game against the Lions in Week 13. He caught six of his eight targets for 104 yards. That was, in fact, his third 100-yard game of the season. He is on pace for an impressive 88-catch, 1,179-yard season in his first year with the Jaguars. Although he did not score a touchdown last week, he is expected to continue his good form against the Titans' weak pass defense in Week 14.
Tennessee has allowed the fourth-most receptions, second-most receiving yards, and the most receiving touchdowns to wide receivers this season. Kirk should take full advantage of this. Keep in mind that he led the Jaguars in receptions, receiving yards, and targets in the game against the Lions. He has now reached 100 yards in two of their last three games heading into Week 14. He should haul down 100+ yards again here.
2. Travis Etienne Jr. reaches 65 yards
Jacksonville RB Travis Etienne had a disappointing game in Week 13. He carried the ball 13 times for only 54 yards. He also failed to score a touchdown for the third game in a row. He did, however, catch all three of his targets for an additional 12 yards. However, he also lost a fumble. Etienne has not caught more than three passes in a game all season and has not gained more than 28 receiving yards since Week 6.
He faces a difficult matchup against the Titans in Week 14. Tennessee has been stronger against the run than the pass. Take note that the Titans have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards to running backs all season.
The good thing is Etienne is healthier this week than last week. Recall that he was questionable for their last game due to a foot injury. Yet, he was able to play and was reasonably productive with his opportunities. However, the game eventually turned away from the ground attack, leaving Etienne with a much lighter workload than desired. He will have another chance to improve his numbers on the road here. We have Etienne reaching 65+ yards in this game.
1. Jaguars let the Titans slip by
After a strong victory over the Ravens in Week 12, the Jaguars looked like they might be in the running for an AFC playoff spot. However, they performed poorly against the Lions in Week 13 and now have a record of 4-8 for the season.
Erstwhile starting QB Trevor Lawrence has made impressive progress in his development this year but was unable to replicate his performance from the previous week against the Lions. He threw for 179 passing yards and one touchdown after throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns the week before. Lawrence, however, remains questionable for the Jaguars in Week 14.
For the Jaguars to win this game, their passing game will need to be strong. However, their ground defense will also need to improve in order to slow down the Titans' running game. Over the last three weeks, the Jaguars have allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game. We expect the Titans to focus on getting star RB Derrick Henry involved early and often in this game.
If the Jaguars can improve their run defense and contain Henry, they may have a chance of winning. Remember that the Titans are coming off a poor performance and the firing of their general manager. This may be a good opportunity for them to bounce back against the inconsistent Jaguars, though we're not holding our breaths. It'll be a close one, with the Jaguars letting the Titans slip by with a win for Tennessee.
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