Tennessee Titans (2-9) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7)
Sunday, December 6th, 2015 | Noon CST
Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium | TV: CBS
Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans (2-9) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) this week at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143). Kickoff is scheduled for noon CST on Sunday, December 6th.
The Titans and Jaguars will play for the second time in 18 days. They met in Jacksonville on Thursday night, November 19th, with the Jaguars pulling out a dramatic 19-13 win.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, gameday host Rhett Bryan and sideline reporter Jonathan Hutton.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans hosted the Oakland Raiders last week and lost by a final score of 24-21. Quarterback Marcus Mariota put the Titans ahead 21-17 with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jalston Fowler. However, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr subsequently orchestrated a 90-yard drive, culminating with the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Seth Roberts. It marked the Titans’ fifth loss of the season by six or fewer points.
Mariota completed three touchdown passes in the contest. In addition to Fowler, tight end Craig Stevens and wide receiver Harry Douglas also were on the other end of the rookie’s touchdown tosses.
With five games remaining on the schedule, Mariota already has three games in which he completed at least three touchdown passes. He is the first Titans quarterback to accomplish the feat since Billy Volek in 2004. Mariota’s 16 touchdown passes in 2015 are a franchise record for a rookie quarterback, as are his 2,244 passing yards.
Tight end Delanie Walker has become a reliable target for the rookie signal caller. For the sixth time in the last seven games, Walker led the team in both receptions (six) and receiving yards (91). Walker, whose 59 receptions lead all NFL tight ends this season, became the fourth-leading pass-catching tight end in franchise history against the Raiders, surpassing Erron Kinney (178 receptions) on the career receptions list.
Additionally, Walker’s 1,598 total receiving yards since the start of the 2014 season are the most by a Titans/Oilers tight end over a two-year span.
Despite surrendering 407 yards to the Raiders, the Titans defense remains in the top 10 of the NFL’s overall rankings, where the group has been since the start of the campaign. The unit ranks seventh overall, allowing an average of 331.8 yards per contest, and against the pass, the defense is sixth best at 224.1 average yards surrendered.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars hosted the San Diego Chargers last week and fell by a final score of 31-25. Jaguars second-year quarterback Blake Bortles passed for 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but his performance was topped by San Diego’s Philip Rivers, who registered 300 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The Jaguars sit two games behind the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans in the race for the AFC South. The Colts and Texans won their games last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, respectively. All four teams in the division, including the Titans, have three games remaining against division foes.
The Jaguars are in their third year under head coach Gus Bradley, who was named to his current post in 2014 after four campaigns as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Bradley’s defense in 2015 ranks sixth against the run (93.3 yards per game) and is allowing the fewest yards per carry in the NFL (3.34).
U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Drive
Prior to the game, fans are encouraged to participate in the annual U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Drive. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off with members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve stationed outside of the gates at Nissan Stadium.
All toys collected during the drive will be used in the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program and distributed to children in Middle Tennessee.
Titans-Jaguars Series at a Glance
- Overall series (regular & postseason): Titans lead 23-19
- Regular season series: Titans lead 22-19
- Postseason series: Titans lead 1-0
- Total points: Titans 842, Jaguars 777
- Current streak: Two wins by Jaguars
- Titans at home vs. Jaguars: 11-9
- Titans on the road vs. Jaguars: 12-10 (including 1-0 in playoffs)
- Longest winning streak by Titans: 5 (twice, last 2001-03)
- Longest losing streak by Titans: 4 (1996-98)
- Titans vs. Jaguars at Nissan Stadium: 11-5
- Last time at Nissan Stadium: Jaguars 14 at TITANS 16 (10-12-14)
- Titans vs. Jaguars at EverBank Field: 12-10
- Last Time at EverBank Field: Titans 13 at JAGUARS 19 (11-19-15)
- First time: OILERS 10 at Jaguars 3 (9-3-95)
- Mike Mularkey’s record vs. Jaguars: 0-2
- Gus Bradley’s record vs. Titans: 3-2
- Mike Mularkey’s record vs. Gus Bradley: 0-1
A Titans Victory Would
- Improve the Titans’ all-time record in the regular season at Nissan Stadium to 74-61.
- Improve the Titans’ all-time record against the Jaguars to 24-19 (including 1-0 in postseason).
- Improve Marcus Mariota’s starting record to 3-7.
- Improve Mike Mularkey’s career record as a head coach to 17-35.
What to Look for this Week
S Michael Griffin (875 career tackles) needs three tackles to pass Al Smith (877) for fifth place on the team’s all-time tackles list.
QB Marcus Mariota needs four touchdown passes to become the third player in franchise history to pass for four touchdowns at least three times in a season, joining George Blanda (1960, 1961) and Warren Moon (1990).
QB Marcus Mariota can become the third rookie in NFL history to complete three or more touchdown passes in four different games, joining Peyton Manning (four games in 1998) and Butch Songin (five games in 1960).
QB Marcus Mariota could record the third 300-yard passing game of his career.
TE Delanie Walker (59 receptions in 2015) needs five receptions to set a new career high, surpassing his 2014 total of 63 receptions.
WR Kendall Wright (245 career receptions for 2,782 yards) needs five receptions to reach 250 for his career. He needs seven receptions to pass Bo Scaife (251) for 13th place on the team’s all-time receptions list and needs 37 yards to pass Alvin Reed (2,818) for 15th place on the team’s all-time receiving yards list.
Titans-Jaguars Series History
The Jaguars are the Titans’ longest-standing division rival. The clubs have met at least twice each year since Jacksonville began play as an expansion franchise in 1995. For the first seven seasons of the rivalry they played in the AFC Central, and for the last 14 years they have been members of the AFC South.
The teams have met a total of 42 times, with the Titans holding a 23-19 advantage. For the last six seasons (2009–2014), the Titans and Jaguars have split the annual series.
The majority of Titans-Jaguars contests have been highly competitive. Overall, 25 of the 42 Titans-Jaguars meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer.
Such was the case in the first meeting of 2015, a Thursday night Week 11 game in Jacksonville won by the Jaguars by a final score of 19-13. The Titans led late in the fourth quarter, only to see their efforts thwarted by a pair of Jaguars scores. The first was a go-ahead, five-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Julius Thomas that was preceded by a 63-yard punt return by Rashad Greene.
A last-minute drive by the Titans was thwarted when quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked by Andre Branch before he could attempt a final pass to the end zone on the final play of the game.
The last time the Titans and Jaguars played at Nissan Stadium was October 12th, 2014. The Titans needed a blocked field goal in the game’s waning seconds to preserve a 16-14 win. The Titans forced two turnovers and recorded six sacks during the course of the afternoon.
The stakes of the rivalry were never higher than in 1999, when the Titans and Jaguars met three times, including the AFC Championship Game in Jacksonville. Steve McNair rushed for two touchdowns and Derrick Mason returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown as the Titans earned their first Super Bowl berth with a 33-14 win. Tennessee went on to Super Bowl XXXIV and eventually fell at the hands of the St. Louis Rams, 23-16.
The Jaguars played their first game in franchise history against the then-Houston Oilers on September 3rd, 1995. In Jacksonville, the Oilers won the game by a 10-3 final score.
Titans-Jaguars: The Last Meeting
Tennessee Titans 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars 19
Thursday, November 19th, 2015
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 19 |
In a Thursday primetime matchup, Blake Bortles’ five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Julius Thomas highlighted a late surge that helped the Jaguars defeat the Titans 19-13 at EverBank Field.
The touchdown was set up by a 63-yard punt return by Jacksonville’s Rashad Greene. Bortles delivered his touchdown pass on the next play to give the Jaguars a 16-13 lead with 3:30 on the clock in the fourth quarter.
On the Titans’ next play from scrimmage, Marcus Mariota completed a pass to tight end Phillip Supernaw. However, as Supernaw fought for extra yards, the ball was knocked loose by cornerback Davon House, who also recovered the fumble. The turnover led to a 36-yard field goal by Jason Myers—his fourth successful field goal in four attempts.
The Titans, led by quarterback Marcus Mariota, had a final chance to regain the lead. Taking possession at the Tennessee 20-yard line, Mariota completed a series of passes, including a pair to wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham for a total of 30 yards, the latter of which put the ball at Jacksonville’s 23-yard line. With five seconds remaining, the Titans had enough time for one last play, but Mariota was sacked by defensive end Andre Branch to seal the Jaguars victory.
In an even battle for most of the game, each defense recorded four sacks. Bortles completed 21 of 30 passes for 242 yards, while Mariota was 22-of-35 for 231 yards.
The Jaguars got even on their second series. Starting at their own 14-yard line, a 31-yard pass from Bortles to wide receiver Bryan Walters put them past midfield. Two plays into the second quarter, Myers booted a 31-yard attempt through the uprights.
The Titans responded, driving 48 yards on nine plays. Mariota and Walker connected for a 29-yard completion, and a holding penalty by the Jaguars on third down extended the drive further. When the Titans stalled, Succop made his second attempt, this time from 49 yards to provide a 6-3 lead.
A pair of Titans outside linebackers supplied the first big break of the evening for either club. On third-and-one, Bortles tried to reach for a first down on a sneak, but Brian Orakpo stripped the ball free. David Bass recovered for the Titans at their 45-yard line, only to watch the offense squander the opportunity with a three-and-out.
The Jaguars evened the score at 6-6 in the final minute of the first half. Bortles found wide receiver Allen Robinson for a gain of 38 yards, setting up a 32-yard field goal by Myers.
To begin the second half, the Jaguars went on a 13-play, 78-yard march, but they once again were forced to settle for three points. Robinson, who recorded a game-high 113 yards on five receptions, caught passes on the drive of 20 and 17 yards. The Jaguars had a first-and-goal from the seven yard line but were unable to reach the goal line. Myers’ third field goal was true from 20 yards.
On the subsequent possession, wide receiver Harry Douglas caused a pair of defensive pass interference penalties to position the Titans for their first and only touchdown. Douglas drew a 15-yard pass interference call on House and a 33-yard interference penalty on cornerback Aaron Colvin on back-to-back plays. To cap the sequence, Mariota darted 23 yards down the left sideline and dove for the pylon, resulting in a 13-9 advantage.
The Titans preserved the lead well into the fourth quarter, assisted by an interception by linebacker Zach Brown at the Jacksonville 12-yard line. But the offense was unable to sustain its remaining chances long enough to either run the clock out or put additional points on the scoreboard. With 3:49 on the clock, Greene fielded a low punt from Brett Kern and raced to the Tennessee five-yard line to set up the Jaguars’ go-ahead score.
