Titans' Overloaded Injury Report May Put an Upset Over Jaguars on Ice in Week 10

The Titans are playing spoiler in their Week 10 matchup, but Tennessee's upset odds fall with every player that's relegated to the sideline.

Tennessee guard Peter Skoronski (77), guard Fernando Carmona (66) and quarterback Cam Ward (1) celebrate Ward’s touchdown against Philadelphia during the third quarter of their game at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Carnell Tate missing the Tennessee Titans' Week 8 matchup wasn't enough to derail the offense from their best performance of the season. Even in a loss, Tennessee posted 36 points and ground up some real momentum for the first time in weeks heading into the bye.

But what about Tate and four other major players missing the contest? That isn't even mentioning another questionable designation on, you guessed it, the offensive side of the ball. Robert Saleh's post-bye goal was for this team to come out swinging.

That in itself isn't the issue, but it's hard to really land a hit when you're missing a hand. The Titans, in addition to Tate, will be without LBs Anthony Hill Jr. and Cody Barton, G Peter Skoronski, and P Tommy Townsend. The latter two were sent to the injured reserve list today.

Titans are losing major players at the worst possible time

On top of that laundry list, RB Tyjae Spears is once again questionable. Spears hasn't played since October 18, in the Titans' win over the Indianapolis Colts.

This is a team coming apart at the seams at the worst time. One-instance absences - like Tate's in Week 8 - are easier to handle. But the Titans are a 1-7 squad down five starters against the best team in their division.

Forgive our staff for entering tomorrow with a pessimistic mindset, but things simply aren't falling in a positive way for Tennessee. Of course, this doesn't negate the positive draft capital the team acquired at the deadline, nor does it cancel out Ward's progress.

However, it does mean that a Tennessee team down on their luck have caught another bad break.

Tennessee can't catch a break this season

You'll recall an 0-2 Titans team in a winnable situation on the road watching rookie RG Fernando Carmona Jr. exit vs. the New York Giants. Tennessee lost that game 12-7, and are just now trying to get Carmona back into the swing of things in practice.

LB Cedric Gray missed Week 1 due to a concussion, and has still yet to return to the leading role he held last season. The Titans aren't 1-7 because of injuries, but setbacks like these have arguably led to the team ending up on the wrong side of the five one-score games they've lost.

From that point of view, Week 10's injury report isn't all that surprising. Although, as the season winds down and certain decisions have to be made about this roster prior to an especially important draft, the added pressure from being down impactful talent works against the Titans' rebuilding process.

We'll see how the undermanned team fares tomorrow, but for those hoping for a turnaround-sparking upset, you may want to splash cold water on that optimism ahead of time.