Jaguars vs. Titans: NFL Week 14 betting odds, preview, and pick

The Jacksonville Jaguars will attempt to end a 14-game road losing streak when they travel to Nashville for a divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Jaguars can’t get out of their own way

Jacksonville’s 37-7 defeat to the Rams last weekend was a perfect representation of its season — and the past decade for the franchise.

The defeat was the Jaguars' 10th this season, marking the 10th time in the past 11 years that the franchise has registered double-digit defeats.

Facing a team that had lost three straight games, the Jaguars fumbled on their second play of the game, leading to a quick touchdown for the Rams that put Jacksonville behind 10-7 with less than four minutes into the game.

Jacksonville would go three-and-out on four of its remaining five first-half drives — the exception being a 13-play, 73-yard touchdown drive — but found itself down just 16-7 at halftime.

After the break, the Jaguars gained 109 yards on 28 plays, while the defense allowed touchdowns on the Rams’ first three drives.

Jacksonville's inability to run the ball was evident, and running back James Robinson has lost a fumble in each of the last two games.

Without the run game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is forced into obvious passing situations and doesn’t have the weapons to deliver. Additionally, Robinson is dealing with injury issues and may not be at full strength this weekend. Not to mention, head coach Urban Meyer seems to find reasons to not utilize him.

Jacksonville’s minus-15 turnover margin is second worst in the league, and the defense is allowing the fourth-most points in the NFL, while the offense has scored the second fewest.

It isn’t helping that the team's 22 false starts are easily the worst in the league, killing many drives in their tracks. As the losses and poor performances pile up, so does the pressure and questions surrounding Meyer’s future. 

Titans need win to separate themselves from Colts

Few teams needed a bye week more than the Titans, and that is exactly what they got in Week 13. They have lost their last two games, with their three best offensive players all injured, as Derrick Henry has been lost for the season and both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones were placed on IR.

Jones returned to practice this week. Should he be healthy for Sunday’s game, it would help stretch the field for the run game.

Running backs Dontrell Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman are trying to fill in the gap left behind by Henry, and against the Patriots they did well, rushing for 240 yards on 31 carries. However, each of them coughed up the football in the game, part of a four-turnover day, as the Titans lost 36-13 ahead of the bye.

Ryan Tannehill threw for just 93 yards on 11 completions, as the lack of talent at wide receiver is limiting what he can do against defenses.

The Titans will look to slow down Jacksonville’s run game and force Lawrence to beat them, with their defense ranking sixth best, at 97.8 rushing yards allowed per game.

In the first meeting, a 37-19 win for the Titans in Week 5, Tennessee allowed Robinson to rush for 149 yards on 18 carries. It was Robinson’s only 100-yard game of the season, and he has 139 yards over his last three games combined.

Jaguars and Titans Betting Trends

• The Jaguars are 4-8 ATS in 12 games this season
• The Under is 10-2 in the Jaguars’ 12 games this season
• The Jaguars have lost their last 14 road games
• The Titans are 7-5 ATS in 12 games this season
• The Over is 6-3 in the Titans’ last nine games
• The Over is 8-4 in the last 12 games between these two teams

Titans will get back in the win column

The Jaguars present an opportunity for Tennessee to end its two-game skid with a run defense that ranks 21st in yards allowed per game.

Additionally, the Jaguars are not the kind of defense that should cause Tannehill problems, nor is their offense one that will force the Titans to fall behind and abandon their run game. The Jaguars defense is also decimated by injuries, with numerous key players banged up heading into the matchup.

Tennessee knows it must win this game if it wants to keep pace for the top seed in the AFC. Coach Mike Vrabel will have his team ready to go, whereas the Jaguars and Meyer do not seem to know what they want to be offensively.

While Lawrence is taking better care of the football of late, he simply doesn’t have the protection nor the weapons to punish even middle-of-the-road defenses like the Titans.

Tennessee must get into the red zone and capitalize on its opportunities, as it has averaged just 16.3 points per game over the last three outings.

With or without Jones, it is hard to see the Jaguars slowing down the run game and staying in this contest. Take the Titans to cover.

For a profitable Same Game Combo, pair the cover with the Titans keeping the Jaguars below their team total for the game.

Score prediction: Tennessee 27, Jacksonville 13

NFL WEEK 14 PICK: TITANS -9

SAME GAME COMBO: TITANS -9/JAGUARS TEAM TOTAL U16.5 (+143)

Jaguars vs. Titans pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Titans to win outright and for the score to go Over the projected total.