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Titans-Jaguars: Live Updates, Analysis

Tennessee has a chance to sweep a season series with a division foe for the second time this season.
David Boclair|
Titans-Jaguars: Live Updates, Analysis
Titans-Jaguars: Live Updates, Analysis

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Tennessee TitansJacksonville Jaguars

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans can make it two-for-two in winning two of two.

Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars is their chance to sweep the season series. They won the first meeting 37-19 in Jacksonville on Oct. 10.

“We spent a lot of time on that because we lost,” Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer said. “… Somewhat of a rivalry game is my understanding, I am relatively new to it but not that new anymore. There is a lot of competition between these two organizations and obviously Tennessee has had a nice run here, so our players feel it and I feel it. We have to do our very best.”

Tennessee already has won twice against the Indianapolis Colts.

A clean sweep of the division is impossible, though, due to the 22-13 loss to Houston on Nov. 21.

Still, a victory over the Jaguars will guarantee the Titans a winning record against AFC South teams for the second consecutive year. They went 5-1 in 2020 en route to the division title.

The last time Tennessee won four or more division games in consecutive years was 2007 and 2008.

Now, on to kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

Jacksonville calls tails and wins the coin toss (tails never fails) and defers its option until the second half. The Titans will start with the ball.

Tennessee will start at its own 26 after a 25-yard return by Chester Rogers.

(11:40) Ryan Tannehill looks to Julio Jones for the first time but – under heavy pressure – throws short. Tannehill already has completed passes to Geoff Swaim and Cody Hollister.

(11:36) After a 17-yard scramble by Tannehill and a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Jaguars, it’s first down at the Jacksonville 16. That’s the good news for the Titans.

The bad news is that left guard Rodger Saffold is down and needs the training staff. Saffold walks off on his own.

(10:07) D’Onta Foreman caps the opening drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. He carried five times for 16 yards on the way to the end zone, and the offense faced just one third down, which it converted. Scoring drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 4:57. TENNESSEE 7, JACKSONVILLE 0

That was Foreman’s first rushing touchdown for the Titans (he had one touchdown reception in 2020) and the third of his NFL career.

(10:03) Jacksonville’s first offensive play is a 9-yard loss as Denico Autry sacks Trevor Lawrence.

(6:29) The drive ends after six plays when Lawrence is sacked for the second time. This time it’s Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons who combine to get him for a loss of 8 yards.

That already is as many sacks in this game as in the previous two combined. 

Saffold has a shoulder injury but is back in the game for the start of this drive.

(4:24) Julio Jones’ first reception after coming off injured reserve is for 1 yard on second-and-6 from the 43. Jacksonville jumps offside before the next snap, and Tennessee has a first down. 

(0:42) After Tannehill is sacked for a 7-yard loss on second down, the Titans settle for a 47-yard field goal attempt when they gain just nine yards on third down. The kick is wide right and no good.

Bullock has now missed at least one kick in three straight games and four of his last six kicks overall (two field goals, two PATs).

(0:00) End of the quarter. The Titans outgained the Jaguars 101-7 and had a 9-1 edge in first downs. Foreman has 20 yards on six rushes. Jones and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine have two receptions each. Kevin Byard and Rashaan Evans have two tackles apiece.

Tennessee is 4-1 this season, 20-5 under Mike Vrabel, when leading after the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

(11:20) Jacksonville crossed midfield but could not make the Titans pay for the missed field goal. They punt it away, and Chester Rogers calls for a fair catch at the 12.

(5:52) Fullback Tory Carter is hurt on a 3-yard run by Dontrell Hilliard. Carter is the only fullback in uniform today. Khari Blasingame was among the Titans’ inactives. Tight ends MyCole Pruitt and Geoff Swaim will be called upon to do the job if Carter can't return.

Tennessee has gone 57 yards on 10 plays on the current drive, including five yards when Carter drew a defensive holding penalty. 

(3:55) On third-and-8 from the Jacksonville 26, the Titans run a draw to Jeremy McNichols, who never gets started and is dropped for a loss of 5 yards.

(3:15) Randy Bullock comes on for another field goal attempt, this one from 44 yards. It’s good. Anthony Firkser had two third-down receptions on that drive. Scoring drive: 15 plays, 62 yards, 8:04. TENNESSEE 10, JACKSONVILLE 0

That was the Titans’ longest drive of the season, in terms of the number of plays. They have had five of 14 plays (three TDs, one FG, one INT).

(1:15) A scrambling Trevor Lawrence is stopped for a 2-yard gain on third-and-7 from the 43. The Titans call timeout and will get the ball once more before halftime.

(1:07) The punt goes out of bounds at the Tennessee 8. The Titans have one timeout.

(0:00) End of the half. Tennessee did not contest a completion to Marvin Jones, who gained 31 yards before Chris Jones – one of multiple Titans who lined up along the goal line – stopped him.

Tennessee has outgained Jacksonville 162-84 and had the ball for 19:02 of the first 30 minutes. D’Onta Foreman had 42 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Julio Jones has three receptions for 29 yards (five targets), and Anthony Firkser has three receptions for 24 yards (four targets). Kevin Byard and Rashaan Evans have four tackles apiece.

The big difference in the game is that Jacksonville has been called for five penalties for 40 yards and three Titans first downs. Tennessee has not been penalized.

THIRD QUARTER

(13:02) One snap after the Jaguars fail to execute a trick play, Rashaan Evans comes up with a interception off a deflection.

That is the Titans’ first takeaway in three games, and the offense has the ball at its own 44.

(10:54) The Titans go three-and-out and punt it right back to the Jaguars, who will start at their own 11 after a fair catch.

(8:14) Jacksonville gets as far as its own 27 before it has to punt. Tennessee starts its next possession at its own 31.

(7:08) After a 10-yard reception by Anthony Firkser on third-and-9, Rodger Saffold is down again. Once again, he walks off, but his body language is not exactly positive as he enters the medical tent. 

After one play, Saffold leaves the medical tent and walks toward the locker room.

(5:42) Jacksonville’s penalty problems continue. A low block adds 15 yards to the end of a 24-yard reception by Geoff Swaim and makes it first down at the Jaguars’ 20.

(5:19) Racey McMath with a 9-yard reception on first down. That is the first career reception for the seventh-round draft pick out of LSU, who returned from injured reserve this week. He is the seventh different Titans player to catch a pass in this game.

(2:56) On third-and-goal from the 5, Tannehill scrambles left, keeps it and goes untouched for the touchdown. Scoring drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 5:10. TENNESSEE 17, JACKSONVILLE 0

That is Tannehill’s sixth rushing touchdown of the season, one short of the career-high he set in 2020.

(0:34) Jacksonville’s best drive of the day ends when Jayon Brown intercepts a pass. Trevor Lawrence threw under heavy pressure from Ola Adeniyi.

Titans’ ball at their own 33.

(0:00) End of the quarter. The Titans ran one play -- a 5-yard reception by MyCole Pruitt – after the interception and let the rest of the time go. 

FOURTH QUARTER

(12:57) Tannehill is sacked on first and third down with a 13-yard completion to Chester Rogers in between. The Titans are forced to punt.

Tannehill has been sacked four times in this one, the most since the Week 4 loss to the Jets (seven times). 

(11:01) Trevor Lawrence scrambles left and throws up a prayer deep. Cornerback Kristian Fulton gathers it in for Tennessee’s third interception of the day.

The last time the Titans had three interceptions in a game was Oct. 25, 2020 against the Steelers, 23 games ago. 

(9:23) That’s zero points off the three takeaways as the offense goes three-and-out when Tannehill overthrows McMath on third down. 

(8:55) Jacksonville’s offense stays on the field – and crosses midfield – when Lawrence completes a pass to Laquon Treadwell for 12 yards on fourth-and-10 from the 41. The Jaguars are now 5-11 on third down, 1-1 on fourth down. 

(7:51) Lawrence goes backward in an effort to avoid a sack and then goes down for a loss of 20 yards. Credit Derick Roberson with the sack. That makes it fourth-and-24 and forces Jacksonville to punt. 

(4:35) The Titans had a chance for a big play with a screen on third-and-10 from the 36, but Dalton Hilliard couldn’t come down with Tannehill’s under-pressure toss. Tennessee has to punt.

(3:44) Buster Skrine comes up with the fourth interception of the day when he undercuts the receiver on an in route. He returns it 17 yards to the Jacksonville 14.

This is the sixth time during the Titans era (1999-present) that Tennessee has had at least four interceptions in a game. The last was Dec. 17, 2012 against the New York Jets. The Titans won each of the other five.

(2:24) The Titans finally get points after a takeaway – three of them as Randy Bullock connects on a 29-yard field goal. Scoring drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:12. TENNESSEE 20, JACKSONVILLE 0

(1:56) Lawrence completes a pass for three yards on fourth-and-8. Titans ball.

Logan Woodside comes on to take a knee a couple times.

(0:00) End of game. Final score: Tennessee 20, Jacksonville 0

OF NOTE

• Tennessee had 284 yards of total offense, which makes this their third straight win with fewer than 300 (194 at the L.A. Rams, 264 vs. New Orleans).

• The Titans have their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2018 (17-0 at the New York Giants).

• D’Onta Foreman was the leading rusher with 13 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.

• Julio Jones was targeted six times in his return from injured reserve, his most since Week 2 at Seattle. He finished with four receptions for 33 yards.

• One tight end, Geoff Swaim, led Tennessee with 45 receiving yards, and another, Anthony Firkser, tied Jones for the team lead with four receptions.

• Rashaan Evans, in his return from injured reserve, had a team-high six tackles in addition to an interception. 

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David Boclair
DAVID BOCLAIR

David Boclair has covered the Tennessee Titans for multiple news outlets since 1998. He is award-winning journalist who has covered a wide range of topics in Middle Tennessee as well as Dallas-Fort Worth, where he worked for three different newspapers from 1987-96. As a student journalist at Southern Methodist University he covered the NCAA's decision to impose the so-called death penalty on the school's football program.

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