Last Updated on October 14, 2010 1:12 am by Anthony Rome
Titans vs. Jaguars Preview
JACKSONVILLE, FL – As one half of the four-way tie in the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans appear confident they can continue their early-season success.
The division rivals meet for the first time this season Monday night in Jacksonville.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Titans 3-point spread favorites for Monday’s game against the Jaguars. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 81% of more than the 5,022 bets for this game have been placed on the Titans -3.
After each missed the playoffs last season, Tennessee and Jacksonville join Indianapolis and Houston at 3-2. The Jaguars and Titans split two meetings last season with the Jags winning 37-17 at home on Oct. 4, 2009.
“It should be an exciting week for us,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said of his team facing a division opponent for the first time in 2010. “It’s against a really good football team, at a tough place to play.”
Though the Titans were blown out in their last visit to Jacksonville, they have won both of their road games this season and five of six dating to 2009.
“That’s pretty good,” defensive tackle Jason Jones told the Titans’ official website. “We’re looking forward to the next one.”
The Jaguars, meanwhile, have totaled 67 points while beating Indianapolis and Buffalo after scoring 40 in losing two of its first three games. Jacksonville has never recorded three straight games of more than 30 points.
“I think we have the correct makeup, the right attitude,” Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “We expect to win every game.”
Both teams have benefited from strong offensive efforts of late.
Fourth in the NFL averaging 26.4 points per game, Tennessee has scored 83 points while winning two of three. The Titans amassed 321 yards in a 34-27 win at Dallas on Sunday.
Vince Young threw two touchdowns and Chris Johnson ran for 131 yards and two scores.
“Each week’s different,” Fisher said. “We’re going to hand it off to our back and spread the ball around whenever is possible.”
Young has passed for 464 yards with four TDs and no interceptions in his last three games. He’s thrown four touchdowns and eight interceptions, but is 4-2 against Jacksonville.
Second in the NFL with 485 rushing yards after a league-leading 2,006 last year, Johnson ran for 228 and two TDs in a 30-13 home win over Jacksonville on Nov. 1. It was the most yards the Jaguars allowed on the ground in a single game.
He could be in for another big day against a Jacksonville club that ranks 30th allowing an average of 385.0 total yards per game.
Fisher, however, would like to see improvement from his defense after the unit allowed a season-high 511 yards against Dallas. Tennessee has yielded 1,042 yards threw the air in its last three contests.
That might bode well for Jacksonville’s David Garrard, 33 of 42 for 341 yards with five touchdowns and an interception in his last two games. He threw three TDs in a 36-26 win at Buffalo last Sunday.
Garrard passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns against the Titans last October.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio is confident Maurice Jones-Drew will be able to play after the running back injured his right wrist on the second play of the fourth quarter last weekend.
“It was kind of sore here, there, then all of a sudden it was fine,” Del Rio said. “Whatever was going on, he’s pretty quiet usually out there. He’s taken some shots and delivered some shots, and usually you don’t hear a whole lot (from him). He was making some noise, which made me concerned. But he’s fine.”
Jones-Drew, tied for eighth in the league with 406 rushing yards, had 84 on 19 carries against Buffalo. He ran the ball eight times for 177 yards and two touchdowns at Tennessee in November.
Rookie Deji Karim could be used to spell Jones-Drew more often Sunday after he gained 70 yards on 15 carries in his NFL debut last weekend.
“We need some more guys to step up and be able to spell him a little bit, so that he can continue to stay fresh,” Garrard said. “It’s a long season.”
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