Jaguars aim to extend the Titans’ losing streak while chasing Colts in AFC South

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Liam Coen started hearing about the Jacksonville- Tennessee rivalry not long after being hired as the Jaguars coach.

Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli, now the Jaguars’ executive vice president of football operations, shared some stories.

Coen also heard about the AFC South rivals’ battles while coaching at Kentucky, so the first-year coach knows that Sunday’s game in Nashville is more than just a divisional game.

“Both teams have probably won games they shouldn’t, and lost games they shouldn’t,” Coen said. “Whatever it is, it’s one of those games that we understand that anything can happen. Any given Sunday anything can happen, but especially in division games where there’s maybe just that little extra want to on both sides.”

Jacksonville played its first NFL regular-season game as an expansion franchise in 1995 against the then-Houston Oilers,. The franchise renamed the Titans in 1999 beat the Jaguars three times that season to reach their only Super Bowl.

These Jaguars (7-4) are second in the AFC South, a game back of Indianapolis with two of their four remaining divisional games against the Colts. That gives the Jaguars a chance at their first AFC South title along with their first playoff berth since 2022.

First, Jacksonville has to survive its fourth road game in five games, visiting a rival. The Jaguars have beaten the Titans five of the past six in this series.

“This is a big one obviously in Tennessee, big division rival opponent,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. ”And a game we need to play well and need to go get a win.”

The Titans (1-10) are desperate having lost six straight — five with Mike McCoy as interim coach. The NFL’s only one-win team has lost its past three games by a combined 16 points, including a 30-24 loss last week to Seattle.

“We got to consistently do our jobs better for 60 minutes and see what happens then when you play your best football for 60 minutes,” McCoy said.

Revamped receiving group

Lawrence will have another new set of starting wide receivers against the Titans.

Brian Thomas Jr. is expected to return after missing the past two weeks with an ankle injury and will play alongside newly acquired Jakobi Meyers for the first time this season. Jacksonville picked up Meyers from Las Vegas at the trade deadline.

“He’s been awesome. It’s come along quicker than I would have thought,” Lawrence said. “Sometimes it takes time with different receivers to get that chemistry and the timing. It’s been pretty seamless with him.”

The Jaguars also got tight end Brenton Strange back last week after he missed six weeks with a hip injury. That will give Lawrence a group of Thomas, Meyers, Strange and Parker Washington as his main options at Tennessee.

Titanic skid

Not only are the Titans stuck in a skid, they’ve also lost 10 straight at home. One more would match the franchise’s longest skid since moving to Tennessee in 1997. The Titans ended that skid Dec. 6, 2015, with an interim head coach and rookie quarterback beating the Jaguars.

These Titans have an interim head coach in McCoy and another rookie quarterback in Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick. They’re also desperate.

“We need to get a win,” Titans linebacker Cody Barton said.

Jaguars’ road nailbiters

Jacksonville’s past three road games have been something to witness: two overtime victories (at Las Vegas and also last week at Arizona 27-24 ) and the worst collapse in franchise history (at Houston). It’s the kind of trend the Jaguars would like to end in their fourth road game in November.

“Whatever they put in front of us as your schedule, you just go play,” Lawrence said. “You get used to it. It’s been good for us to have to handle that.”

Youth movement

Ward is just one of a season-high five rookies who started the previous game for the Titans and most for the franchise since at least 2005. Tennessee played a season-high 10 rookies as well, and they’ve been producing.

The quarterback threw for 256 yards and a TD while rushing for his first touchdown. Ward leads all rookies with 2,210 yards passing.

“You definitely see growth and improvement there as I think we’ve all maybe thought was going to come and happen for him,” Coen said. “So yeah, you can tell he just continues to improve.”

Rookie Chimere Dike returned a punt 90 yards for his second such TD this season, tight end Gunnar Helm led the Titans with six catches for 51 yards and safety Kevin Winston Jr. led them in tackles.

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AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.

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