The Tennessee Titans enter a Week 18, winner-take-all contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars with almost nobody expecting them to win.
And it’s fair to think that way, as these two teams couldn’t be more polar opposites at the moment.
The Titans have lost six in a row and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be a playoff team. They’re also missing their quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, which only limits an already struggling offense further.
The Jaguars, led by Trevor Lawrence, who is taking that next step right in front of our very eyes, are on fire after having won four games in a row.
Clearly the Jaguars are much more equipped to make a run in the playoffs than the Titans, but none of that matters if the Jaguars can’t take care of business on Saturday night.
Sportsbooks and NFL experts believe Jacksonville will, but what does our staff think? Find out now as our writers make what could be their final predictions of the 2022 campaign.
Ryan Sikes: Jaguars
The Titans’ season comes to a painful end, but perhaps some fans are happy so they no longer have to endure this.
The loss of Ryan Tannehill and others proves to be too much, unlike a year ago when the Titans overcame a ton of injuries,. Derrick Henry will have a solid day on the ground, but Josh Dobbs is unable to build off a positive debut last week as the Titans limp into the offseason.
Final score: Jaguars 23, Titans 16
Tyler Rowland: Jaguars
The Tennessee Titan will make this one close because the defense will give a great effort, but the defense forced three turnovers against Dallas and the Josh Dobbs-led offense only scored 13 points.
The presence of Derrick Henry leads to one more touchdown than last week, but it still ultimately won’t be enough against a rising Jacksonville team with a QB playing at an elite level.
The silver lining: The Titans get a top-ten pick and can actually get some help for this offensive line.
Final score: Jaguars 27, Titans 20
Mike Moraitis: Titans
The Jaguars enter this game as the better team and they should beat an ailing Titans squad that is missing several key players, including its starting quarterback.
But what these teams have done up until this point no longer matters. All that matters is just this one game, and as we know anything can happen in one game — and I think that “anything” happens.
The well-rested duo of Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons wreak havoc upfront against a Jaguars offensive line that will be missing its left tackle, which will slow down a red-hot Jaguars passing attack.
That pressure will also force Trevor Lawrence into a few turnovers that lead to much-needed easy points for a struggling Titans offense that can use all the help it can get.
Tennessee gets a massive performance from Derrick Henry, who gets going early but doesn’t slow down like he did in Week 14. Josh Dobbs isn’t great, but does just enough to complement Henry en route to a win.
Final score: Titans 23, Jaguars 20
Shaun Calderon: Titans
The Titans walk into Jacksonville with their backs against the wall and pull off a massive road upset on the back of a monstrous outing by Derrick Henry.
Final score: Titans 25, Jaguars 23
