Jaguars (9-7) at Titans (5-11)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee TV: CBS
Spread (BetMGM):
Jaguars by 5
Jaguars’ keys to victory: If the Jaguars can protect their quarterback, they should be able to feast on a Titans secondary that is short-handed. Jacksonville must neutralize OLBs Harold Landry and Arden Key and DL Denico Autry especially. On defense, the Jaguars can take their pick of where to attack along the offensive line. However, the Titans group up front is particularly poor at the tackle spots. As long as the Jags can limit RBs Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears, they should be able to completely shut Tennessee down offensively.
Titans’ keys to victory: Tennessee will almost certainly be without QB Will Levis in Week 18 after he injured his foot, but it doesn’t matter who starts under center behind an offensive line that has been poor in pass protection all season. The Jaguars pass rush should eat. On defense, the Titans must get a sensational effort from their pass rush if they hope to slow down the Jaguars passing attack, as the secondary can’t be relied upon in coverage.
Matchup to watch: Titans’ edge rushers vs. Jaguars’ offensive tackles. The only hope the Titans have is to keep this game low scoring, and the only way to do that is to get a consistent pass rush that impacts Jacksonville’s passing attack.
Who wins? The Titans looked bad in Week 17, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll be any better for the final game of the season. The Jags punish Tennessee on both sides of the ball, leading to a lopsided result that punches their ticket to the playoffs.
Jaguars, 27-6