Titans vs. Jaguars: Keys to victory

Keys to victory for the Titans (6-6) as they face the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) on "Thursday Night Football" (7:20 p.m., Fox, NFL Network) at Nissan Stadium.

Limit Leonard Fournette

Running back Leonard Fournette is back from a one-game suspension, giving the Jaguars their most lethal offensive weapon. It’s been a disappointing season for the former No. 4 overall pick, who has missed seven games this season (six because of a hamstring injury) and has run for only 314 yards after gaining 1,040 rushing yards as a rookie last season. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the most dangerous ball carriers in the league.

Give Marcus Mariota a clean pocket

In utterly dismantling the Colts’ offense last weekend, the Jaguars racked up three sacks, nine quarterback hurries and five tackles for a loss against an Indy offensive line that earlier this season went five straight games without allowing a sack. Now they face a Titans offensive line that has allowed 42 sacks, second-worst in the NFL this season. Marcus Mariota needs a cleaner pocket to work with than the one Andrew Luck had in Sunday's shutout.

Better efficiency on third down

Err, make that at least some efficiency on third down. Until the final minute of their win against the Jets, the Titans were 0-for-10 on third down. That kind of ineptitude makes it a fierce challenge for the offense to build any sort of rhythm. They’ll have to do better against the Jags, though they can’t do much worse.

Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach.