Everyone in the NFL, besides the fan bases outside of Tennessee and Jacksonville, would point this game as one of the matchups to be one of the last match-ups to look this week. Who could blame them? The two teams have not looked good in the first 5 weeks of the season. The Tennessee Titans have just suffered the worst lost in NFL history, in comeback fashion, against the Cleveland Browns, a week ago. The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost their first five games in the regular season for the second straight year in a row. Something's got give here, right?
The Tennessee Titans have had a few weeks of unfortunateness with injuries. Now losing both veterans Offensive Tackle Michael Roos and Safety Bernard Pollard for the rest of the season. They will also be without leading rusher Running Back Shonn Green and are expected to be without Quarterback Jake Locker, who has been their greatest asset when he is healthy and on the field.
This means that Charlie Whitehurst will be on the field as starting Quarterback for the Titans again. When Charlie Whitehurst has been on the field he has relatively not been good. He is currently 25-44 for 371 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. It doesn't look bad on the stat line, however, two of his passes of touchdowns came from his first two passes against the Browns last week. He needs to have a consistent showing if he wants to lead Tennessee to a victory Sunday.
They need to also look for big plays by their impact players, including rookie Running Back Bishop Sankey, Tight End Delanie Walker, and Wide Receiver Justin Hunter. Walker currently leads the receiving core for the Titans with 26 catches for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have looked what many have expected to see from them in the first five games, struggling against what looked to be the toughest stretch of the season, playing against 3 playoff teams from a year ago.
The Jaguars have pulled the plug on Chad Henne, and the Blake Bortles-era has officially begun in Jacksonville. Blake Bortles' stat line hasn't looked pretty in his three games in the NFL so far, being 65-97 for 668 yards with 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He looks to improve from certain mistakes and try to move forward into his development.
The Jaguars, injury-wise, will only be missing Running Back Toby Gerhart, who currently leads the team in rushing with 48 carries for 123 yards and 1 touchdown. They will get important players back on Sunday with veteran Wide Receiver Cecil Shorts III and rookie Wide Receiver Marqise Lee. This will help Blake Bortles on Sunday with trying to get the ball to the open receiver on Sunday.
“It’s frustrating and disappointing,” Gerhart said.
“I have all the respect for Toby,” Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said. “Some weeks it feels really good; other weeks it comes back and we’ve been monitoring it. I know he’s gone in the games feeling really good like last week and then the first play or the third play of the game it bothered him. We just stepped in saying let’s give you this week off so you can stay off of it. We will hopefully accelerate it so we’re not dealing with it from week to week. It’s tough on him. I know the team holds him in such high regard because of who he is and what he’s battling, but I think this is truly best for us and best for the team.”
For the rushing game, look for rookie 7th round pick Storm Johnson to get much more carries from the Jaguars backfield after leading them in rushing last week, with the runs being shared with Jordan Todman and Denard Robinson.
“I think that you will see all three of them have a chance to play in different roles,” Bradley said. “It does create opportunities... All three will be utilized.”
Something's got to give on Sunday. Will it be Charlie Whitehurst holding the Titans to victory at home or Blake Bortles getting his first win in the NFL? Who will make an impact for either team in Sunday? This game has many question marks for now and looking further down the road for these divisional rivals. This should be an interesting sight for these teams on Sunday.
