
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to sweep their second AFC South rival in two weeks this Sunday, hosting the Tennessee Titans in the final game of the regular-season.
So, how do we see the Jaguars' rematch with the Titans playing out? We break it down with our weekly three bold predictions.
After two 100-yard efforts in the first month of the season, Jaguars ' running back Travis Etienne has only topped 75 yards rushing three times since. That is more due to the Jaguars' blocking issues in the running game, an injured offensive line, and pass-happy game scripts as Trevor Lawrence has exploded, and less to do with Etienne.
With that said, I think the Jaguars lean on their fifth-year running back this week to get through this game nice and clean. Etienne is having the best year of his career and the Jaguars should put the regular-season finale on his shoulders as they try to restart the running game before they hit a critical stretch of playoff games.
Josh Hines-Allen is entering Week 18 with eight sacks after going on a hot streak during the second half of the season, and he has a prime chance to hit double-digits in Week 18. It will take him getting a two-sack game, but he has the time of advantageous matchup against a middling left tackle that could serve as a way to get there.
According to NextGenStats, "Hines-Allen has aligned on the right edge on 74.1% of his snaps this season, projecting a matchup with Dan Moore Jr. Moore has allowed the 3rd-highest pressure rate among left tackles (13.6%, min. 250 pass blocks) and the 2nd-most sacks (12.5) this season." Hines-Allen has the fourth-most pressures in all the NFL, and should be expected to rack up some more as he tees off against the Titans.
One of the Jaguars biggest breakout players of the season has been second-year cornerback Jarrian Jones, who has played good football all season but has taken his game to a different leel in recent weeks. Jones has back-to-back games with late-game interceptions that helped the Jaguars seal big road wins, and I think he does it for the third week in a row.
Cam Ward is a talented quarterback, but his unwillingness to ever let a play die can also be his biggest weakness. With the way Ward extends plays and throws prayers downfield, I think Jones will have the perfect chance to nab an interception for his third game in a row.
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