The Jaguars head to Nashville in Week 10 with momentum, but this is not the kind of game they can sleepwalk through. Jacksonville is 6-2, sitting on top of the AFC South after back-to-back blowouts of the Colts and Ravens, while Tennessee is 1-7 and coming off a bye.
The records say one thing. The recent tape says the Titans have enough life to make this interesting if the Jaguars let them hang around.
That starts with Tony Pollard, who has become the engine of Tennessee’s offense over the last two weeks. He’s piled up 246 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his last two games, and the Titans have leaned on him to create a more balanced attack.
Jacksonville’s run defense has been elite all year - it leads the NFL at 89.3 rushing yards allowed per game - but Pollard brings more than just inside runs. He can bounce things outside, make defenders miss, and force clean tackling from linebackers and defensive backs.
If the Jaguars can bottle him up early on first and second down, Tennessee’s offense gets a lot less comfortable.
The other major test is Cam Ward, who just turned in one of the best outings of his NFL career. Against Cincinnati, he threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and added 41 rushing yards.
That mobility matters. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker should have chances to get after him, especially if Jacksonville can push Tennessee into passing situations, but the rush has to stay disciplined.
If Ward slips the pocket and buys time, he can turn a broken play into a chunk gain downfield. The Jaguars need pressure, not chaos.
Ball security is another area where Jacksonville has built a real edge. Through eight games, the Jaguars have only six turnovers, and Trevor Lawrence has been sharp with 18 touchdown passes against four interceptions.
That said, Tennessee’s defense has been creating problems lately. The Titans have nine takeaways over their last three games, which ties for the most in the NFL over that span, and Jacob Martin leads the team with 6.5 sacks.
Jeffery Simmons and Amani Hooker are gone after recent trades, but the remaining pieces are still capable of making life messy. Jacksonville can’t hand Tennessee short fields or extra chances.
The Jaguars also may need to keep their offense flexible if the backfield is limited. Bhayshul Tuten missed Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices with ankle and foot injuries, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. has been limited by a hand injury.
Even with those concerns, Jacksonville has shown it can move the ball without leaning on one runner. In the 33-10 win over Baltimore, Lawrence completed passes to eight different receivers, and the offense kept rolling despite modest production on the ground.
That kind of balance has been a big reason the Jaguars are averaging 28.6 points per game.
They’ve also been excellent on third down, converting at a 46.4% clip, third-best in the league. That ability to stay on schedule could matter again if the run game isn’t fully intact. Jacksonville doesn’t need every drive to be explosive, but it does need to keep moving.
And above all else, the Jaguars have to set the tone early. Their last two games were complete performances - 42-7 over Indianapolis and 33-10 over Baltimore - and that’s the version of Jacksonville that overwhelms opponents.
Tennessee, though, just scored a season-high 36 points against Cincinnati and led by seven late in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime. The Titans have shown they can make noise when given room to breathe, and the extra week off only helps them.
If Jacksonville gets out front quickly, it can force Ward into a heavier passing load and open the door for more defensive aggression. But the Jaguars also have to finish when they get to the red zone.
In Other News...
Jaguars Injury Report Leaves One Big Week 10 Question
Thursdays injury report offered the Jaguars a more encouraging look as they moved through practice ahead of their matchup with the Titans. Several Jacksonville players were listed as limited or non-participants, but the overall picture pointed in a better direction, with some key names getting back on the field and giving the team a clearer sense of where things stand entering the week.
Tennessees report told a much harsher story, with multiple starters already ruled out and the roster looking thin on both sides of the ball. For Jacksonville, the bigger question now is how much of that progress turns into availability by game time, especially with one important situation still hanging over the week. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars GM Defends The Risk Behind Jacksonvilles Trade Deadline Swings
James Gladstone spent the week defending the Jaguars trade deadline approach, and his message was pretty clear: the moves for Jessie Bates and Jordan Davis were made to make Jacksonville better now, not as some desperate all-in gamble. The Jaguars gave up meaningful draft capital, including early-round picks in 2027 and later selections in 2028 and 2029, but Gladstone framed the deals as part of a broader team-building plan rather than a break from it.
He also pushed back on the idea that the Jaguars are simply tossing future picks aside. Jacksonville still values draft capital, Gladstone said, but the front office is trying to manage it more flexibly by leaning on compensatory picks and keeping room to maneuver. In other words, the Jaguars are betting they can improve the roster without losing sight of the long game, even if the price of doing business looks steep right now. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Could Make Jaguars Fans Notice This Week 10 Stack
With a few notable fantasy regulars sidelined this week, the DFS board has opened up in a way that can make the right Jaguars stack stand out. Trevor Lawrence gets a chance to benefit from a matchup that looks friendlier than usual, and in a week when managers are hunting for value, Jacksonvilles passing game has enough moving parts to draw real attention. Parker Washington and Brenton Strange are among the names that can help make the construction work, especially with opportunity often mattering more than reputation in this part of the season.
The appeal is not just Lawrence in a vacuum, but how the pieces around him could fit together if Jacksonville leans into the passing game. With injuries thinning out other options across the league, the Jaguars have become part of the conversation for lineups looking to balance safety and upside, and that puts extra focus on how the offense distributes targets. For fantasy players, the question is whether this is the week Lawrence and company turn a decent setup into a lineup-winning stack. [Read more 🡒]