Jacksonville at Tennessee Prediction ATS 12/12/21
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10 SU, 4-8 ATS) vs. Tennessee Titans (8-4 SU, 7-5 ATS)
Week 14 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 1PM EST
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: CBS
Point Spread: JAC +9.5/TEN -9.5 (Betanysports – They let you bet on games at -105 instead of -110! This amounts to a HUGE savings!)
Over/Under Total: 44
The Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Sunday in week 14 AFC South action. Tennessee is coming off a bye week, which followed their fourth loss of the season, a 36-13 loss to New England. Rested, they are eased back into action at home against the 2-10 Jaguars. Sunday saw more of the same for the Jaguars in a 37-7 loss to the Rams. Can the Jags come up with some answers in this divisional matchup? Or will the Titans atone for a rough patch and start putting together their late-season playoff case? Let’s break it down.
What Part I Tells Us
A lot has changed from a week five 37-19 win for the Titans over the Jaguars. The fact that a player the Titans won’t have this week in Derrick Henry scored three TDs in that game might render it a result in which one doesn’t pay much mind. Granted, the Jaguars haven’t done much since that time to warrant increased respect. But this week, they won’t be seeing Henry and will be facing a team that hasn’t been doing well. Maybe a potential Jacksonville backer could derive some comfort in Trevor Lawrence almost going for 300 yards in that first contest, while RB James Robinson had a big day with 149 yards and a TD.
Out of Sight. Out of Mind
Between Derrick Henry missing time, the forgettable loss to the Pats two weeks ago, and a bye week, a lot of people aren’t thinking about the Titans. Losing to Houston the week before the New England loss makes it that much harder for people to remember the last time they saw the Titans really doing something good. A November 7 win over the Rams was the last time we saw this 8-4 team looking the part. It’s hard to explain what has happened recently since the loss of Henry didn’t really manifest badly until recently. But injuries on both sides of the ball have stripped them of some of their fire. With Henry, Kevin Byard, Julio Jones (questionable), and a bunch of other pieces, including even more running backs missing or compromised, perhaps some of this was to be expected.
Where the Titans turn from here is the key issue. With extra time to ruminate on their recent failings, it’s hard to imagine a pumped-up Titans team not surfacing this week, even in light of an unthreatening opponent they already beat. But after losing to Houston, they know they can’t afford to approach games that way. The fundamental question is whether or not this is the same Titans’ team. Has the lack of a crushing weapon like Henry started to manifest more with the inconsistent performances of Ryan Tannehill? Can they afford not having Henry while also getting down years from top guys like AJ Brown along with a bunch of injury setbacks that have taken out chunks of their defense?
Finding Optimism on the Jags
A win in London against Miami and a 9-6 win over Buffalo aside, it’s been an ugly scene for the Jaguars. They lost their last three and weren’t even close to covering the spread. With that line and lack of offensive weaponry outside of James Robinson, maybe it’s not Lawrence or Meyer’s fault, as they’re simply too strapped to compete most weeks. Still, one may have anticipated more—some good signs, a positive moment here and there, and some tangible signs that Lawrence is getting his legs under him. It’s hard to say the coaching staff has done a good job. But again, it’s unclear who would do a good job with this talent.
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A lot of weeks, those who get behind the Jaguars will be mired in the muck offensively. You’ll look at Lawrence’s stats and figure the game is maybe halfway through the first quarter, only to find out the game is almost over. And sure, Marvin Jones is serviceable, and losing DJ Chark was a bad setback, but what they’re getting out of the best of the rest can be astonishing in its futility at times. They’ll be playing from way behind, and still, they can’t make the connection. Their tight ends or WR Laviska Shenault just disappear. Other than Robinson, trying to extract an even halfway-respectable stat-line from someone on this team is a real struggle.
They did, in fact, do pretty well the first time offensively against Jacksonville, though as usual, they got very little out of it. With a defensive score from Byard, who is now out, they only scored 12 points on all that production from Lawrence and Robinson, losing by three scores. Still, they’re getting a lot of points here and aren’t going against Henry this time, facing a Tennessee team whose results suggest they might be in the dumps a bit. In that context, maybe a Jaguars team getting a nice chunk of points isn’t completely lost in this divisional context against what might be a sideways Titans’ bunch. A leap of faith is needed to sign off on the Titans in this realm. You’re basically counting on something happening that hasn’t happened in weeks.
Lay the Points
The Titans don’t have Henry and some other crucial pieces, but I anticipate that good coaching and a lot of good pieces that remain in the Tennessee fold will come together this week for the big win at home. Troubling form aside, I’d almost be more inclined to take the Jaguars if the Titans weren’t facing a crisis where another loss would mean they’re completely derailed. It’s unfortunate for the Jaguars in a way that they intersect with the Titans at a time where the Jags are least likely to receive the mental-letdown perks of being a garbage team that Tennessee already beat. I see the Titans taking it to a Jaguars team that has started running out of answers.
Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Tennessee Titans minus 9.5 points. Question: Are you one of the many who have gotten smoked over the past month due to crazy outcomes? Instead of re-depositing at your sportsbook and receiving nothing (or a tiny re-up bonus), you should check out our best sportsbooks list where you can grab a 100% real cash bonus!
