Tennessee Favored Over Jacksonville

NFL News - October 27th, 2009 - Written by John

There was once a time, as recent as last season, where the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars would draw a primetime billing in the middle of the year.

Those days are gone now, leaving Sunday's meeting with only the intrigue of a possible breakthrough win for the Titans. It would be their first after a dismal start to the season. They hit rock bottom two weeks ago in a 59-0 loss to the New England Patriots, in which Tom Brady set an NFL record with five touchdown passes in one quarter. Tennessee is now one of only three teams without a win.

Despite all that, NFL Week 8 Betting Lines have the Titans favored by three at home against Jacksonville, according to BetUS Sportsbook. The over/under for the game is 45.

The Jaguars pounded Tennessee at home earlier in the year, 37-17, more than covering the two-point underdog status.

Although it seems a bit alarming that Tennessee is favored in any game, especially against a team that already beat them, the Jaguars have not wowed either. Their dwindling fan base continually gets smaller by the hour and their inconsistent play hasn't helped the cause. One week they lose the by 14 to the Arizona Cardinals, the next week they beat the Houston Texans by seven. It has been a bumpy road that can only loosely be explained by asserting that Jacksonville must feel more comfortable at home. Two of their three wins have come as the home team while going 1-2.

But they still have two superstars at their disposal in Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Sims-Walker. The departure of Fred Taylor has only helped Jones-Drew explode off the stat sheet, running for three touchdowns twice this year and has eight overall. Sims-Walker is second on the team with 398 receiving yards, just nine behind Torry Holt, despite being suspended for a game and has three scores overall.

Tennessee, meanwhile, has had a variety of problems, not the least quarterbacking issues. After guiding the city to an AFC-best 13-3 record, Kerry Collins has floundered and recent reports this week indicate owner Bud Adams would like to see Vince Young reinserted into the starting role. Young hasn't started for the Titans since Week Two, where he was booed off the stage and immediately went AWOL.

"I have been wanting (head coach Jeff Fisher) to play Vince Young more because Collins has been having his problems out there," Adams told the Nashville Tennessean last week. "I just think we need to find out how well (Young) can do.

"If you don't play the guy and lose all your games, it is hard for you to see what he can do for you. Vince has won a lot of games for us.''

It's true that Young did play well in his first season, winning Rookie of The Year honors. But the move seems to indicate a futuristic direction of the team, becoming one of the first franchises to loosely prepare for 2010. They still have one of the league's top rushers in Chris Johnson and a head coach Jeff Fisher is among the tops in the NFL. But their once-proud defense is among the worst and have trouble stopping the pass. That was shown last time they faced Jacksonville, when Garrard threw for 323 yards and Sims-Walker had two touchdown catches.

The Titans are dead last in the NFL against the pass, allowing a whopping average of 311 yards per game. The next closest team, the Cincinnati Bengals, is a good 60 yards better.

Although both teams are vastly different than in previous years, history indicates the home team plays relatively well. The Jaguars are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 trips to Tennessee. The Titans, who are coming off a bye week, are 7-3 ATS when having two weeks to prepare.

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