The Tennessee Titans return from their bye week and look to end their losing streak as they host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. The Titans’ offense enters Sunday’s matchup on a high despite two straight losses, scoring 60 points in their last two games.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars defense has allowed 17 total points in their last two games. The Jaguars have also won four consecutive meetings against the Titans.
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Here are three key matchups that could determine whether Tennessee can pull off a divisional upset.
1. Cam Ward vs. Jaguars secondary
Titans second-year quarterback Cam Ward enters Week 10 looking to build on arguably the best performance of his young career. After passing for a career-high 304 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward is looking to keep that momentum going.
However, maintaining that momentum will be challenging against a Jacksonville secondary that has established itself as one of the NFL’s best at creating turnovers, ranking third in the league with 11 interceptions. Their secondary also became even more dangerous following the acquisition of veteran safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons.
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With Jacksonville’s ability to generate takeaways, Ward must make smart decisions while still finding opportunities to attack downfield.
2. Tony Pollard vs. Jaguars run defense
Tennessee’s rushing attack has turned it on lately, which led to the team opting to keep starting RB Tony Pollard despite trade rumors. Pollard is coming off consecutive 100-yard performances and five total rushing touchdowns in his last two games.
However, Jacksonville presents a tougher challenge than the bottom-half of the NFL rushing defenses he saw in the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Jaguars enter Week 10 ranked in the top-five of rushing defenses, allowing fewer than 90 yards per game on the ground.
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Establishing Pollard early will be essential for Tennessee, as that has been their formula for success in their last two games.
3. Titans secondary vs. Trevor Lawrence
Jaguars quarterback is ranked fourth in the NFL.com latest MVP rankings and deservedly so. Lawrence enters Sunday’s matchup with 18 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, leading a Jacksonville offense averaging 28.6 points (4th in the NFL) per game.
Tennessee surrendered 462 passing yards and five touchdowns to Joe Burrow (1st in MVP rankings) in its previous game, making improvement against the pass a major priority. The Titans also forced Burrow into three interceptions, but traded the player who caught all of them (Amani Hooker).
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The Titans’ defense trade might be tough sledding the rest of this season following the trade of Hooker and star DT Jeffery Simmons. However, if they want any chance at keeping pace with the Jaguars, they must find a way to commit turnovers from their remaining pieces in the secondary.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 Key Matchups for Week 10
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
