
While the Tennessee Titans enter as six and a half point underdogs, there's a very real possibility they could leave Nissan Stadium with a win. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been playing his heart out, and he should have rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor back on the field.
Even though WR Calvin Ridley is out for the season, this would be the most full-strength Tennessee's offense has been all year. They have three quality running backs at their disposal, and Ward should have all of his top targets healthy and ready to go.
Should the Titans find themselves trailing early, there's no need to panic. That would be the usual for them, but Ward has been a force to be reckoned with, particularly in the fourth quarter. Looking at the Jacksonville Jaguars, that could be their kryptonite.
"[Ward] has led the Titans on late scoring drives to pull within one score in back-to-back games despite losing both. The Jaguars' defense is allowing 9.6 points per game in the fourth quarter, 29th worst in the league. So this could be the week when Ward leads Tennessee on a late scoring drive that results in a win," Davenport wrote.
Even though the Jaguars are 7-4, they're one of the most inconsistent teams in the league. The Titans could easily force overtime, which would be Jacksonville's third overtime game in their last five, but Tennessee would love to stun them late and get the job done in regulation.
Jacksonville is ending a stretch where four of their last five games have been on the road. For Tennessee, this is their fourth straight at home. It's not like the fans of Nissan Stadium are used to seeing their team win, but it would be quite a miracle if Ward could lead them on a fourth quarter comeback that sends everyone home happy.
It's important to note how much of a factor Ridley was during the lone game-winning drive of Ward's career. Sure, that was against Arizona, but that's a Cardinals team that just took the Jaguars to overtime. Jacksonville is truly one of the hardest teams in the league to figure out, and a loss to Tennessee would make them even more puzzling.
While no team ever wants to trail in the fourth quarter, the Titans are no stranger to it. They've become used to being underdogs and playing from behind, something that could benefit them greatly against a Jaguars team that always finds a way to be their own worst enemy in the final 15 minutes.
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