Titans vs. Jets: Full Tennessee Game Preview

With the Tennessee Titans coming off of just their third win of the season, the positive vibes are flowing a lot more freely with four games left in the regular season.

Arguably the toughest four-game stretch on the Titans' schedule lurks ahead, and it starts with a difficult road contest with the New York Jets.

The Titans have seen plenty of formidable defenses this season, but this Jets defense may end up providing the stiffest test of all. 

Quarterback Marcus Mariota has faced some rookie struggles when facing aggressive defenses. This will be another test for him, but it will also be good for his continued development. It's safe to say that Mariota has passed his rookie test with flying colors through 10 games played. 

The defense will see an old friend in Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is having a spectacular season at the ripe age of 33. 

Draft position for the Titans is probably on everyone's minds, but pulling off an upset to spoil someone's playoff hopes will leave this young team with something to be proud of heading into Mariota's second season. 

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

When: 12:00 PM CDT

TV: Channel 5 WTVF (Local)

Week 13 Results and Recap

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The most electrifying play in recent Titans memory happened last week on Mariota's 87-yard touchdown run with under nine minutes remaining. It looked like the Titans were going to blow another lead to the Jaguars and extend their home losing streak that was at 11 games. 

This play put the Titans up, 35-32, and the following bad snap over the head of Blake Bortles led to a defensive touchdown that was enough cushion for the Titans to get the win. 

Psychologically speaking, this was a huge victory for a young team that was becoming accustomed to losing close games. It will do wonders for this team's confidence over the last quarter of the regular season. 

No one expected this game to be a shootout, but that's exactly what happened. The secondary had no answer for the Jaguars passing game, thanks in large part to Allen Robinson's three touchdowns. 

It was one of the few off days that we've seen from this Titans defense. Expect them to be much better in the following weeks, but the secondary is still a major area of concern. The secondary received a grade of an "F" from Jason Wolf of the Tennessean.

The Titans remain in last place in the AFC South, but everyone else in the division lost in Week 13. 

Colts 6-6

Texans 6-6

Jaguars 4-8

Titans 3-9

News and Notes

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Delanie Walker just 200 yards shy of 1,000 for the season

Delanie Walker's Hot Streak

So much credit is owed to Walker's leadership on and off the field. He's been one of the most reliable players on the entire roster, and he's quietly putting up some mammoth numbers.

Walker has a comfortable lead in receptions among tight ends, courtesy of NFL.com:

1. D. Walker, 67
2. G. Barnidge, 60
3. R. Gronkowski, 57

His numbers over the last eight games are even more impressive, especially considering how limited the Titans offense has been at times. Walker has surpassed 90 receiving yards in three-straight games, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com.

There's no overlooking the fact that this Titans offense would have no chance without Walker. He's been so vital to Mariota's successful rookie campaign, and the Titans have to make sure they hold onto him for the long-term future. 

Titans Can Play Spoiler Role Over Last Four Games

There are four games left on the schedule, and every game offers the Titans an opportunity to mess up playoff seeding or destroy playoff hopes all together. 

The Jets are right in the thick of the wild-card hunt. In fact, the Jets would be in as the final AFC playoff team thanks to a tiebreaker scenario over the Pittsburgh Steelers, per ESPN.com.

This kind of a scenario leaves all of the pressure on the Jets and almost none for the Titans. The Jets clearly have the more talented roster, but the Titans could come in a lot looser to pull off a major upset. They've had their chances late in games where they were given no chance coming in, and it can be done again. 

However, the margin for error will be thin. The Jets are balanced and will be out for blood to continue their march to the playoffs. They're also not mathematically eliminated from catching the New England Patriots for the division crown.

For what it's worth, the Titans have a 21.9 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN's Matchup Predictor.

Roles Keep Expanding for Dorial Green-Beckham, David Cobb

It's critical that the youth of this roster keeps getting plenty of in-game development over the last four games. The two who immediately jump to mind are Dorial Green-Beckham and David Cobb.

Green-Beckham has been wildly inconsistent, which should've been expected. However, he's making steady progress and has played well ever since Justin Hunter was lost for the season.

The Titans run game has been a fluid situation for much of the year. Antonio Andrews has taken a firm grip as the primary back, but Cobb's looks on offense drastically increased last week. He saw 13 carries after only seeing seven in his first two games combined. 

His rushing average of 2.3 needs to show some steady improvement. 

Cobb should keep seeing 10-plus carries as long as the game trends that way. If the Titans find themselves two or three scores behind, then Cobb won't see as much action. Andrews is the better receiver and blocker out of the backfield if the Titans are forced to pass more often. 

Injury Update

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McCluster has missed last two games with MCL injury

The Titans are facing some injury concerns on the defensive line with both Mike Martin and Sammie Hill unable to practice, per Wyatt.

Hill has been a mainstay on the injury report all season, and Martin provides some important depth on the interior of the defensive line. 

The biggest injury the Titans are dealing with is Derrick Morgan. They need his pass-rushing ability back at outside linebacker. His return would give the Titans a better chance at forcing Fitzpatrick into some turnovers. 

The return of Dexter McCluster looks likely, as he was a full participant in practice, per Wolf.

McCluster will provide more versatility both offensively and in the return game. Look for McCluster to retain his duties as the punt returner. 

As important as McCluster is to the offense, he shouldn't be taking vital carries from Cobb. The Titans have to see what they have in Cobb for next season, and they'll have trouble doing that if they give too many of his opportunities to McCluster. 

Key Matchups

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Titans Wide Receivers vs. Jets Secondary

The Jets are easily the best defense against the run in the NFL. They allow an average of just 83 yards per game and have also only given up two touchdowns on the ground.

For the Titans to even keep the game competitive, they'll have to open things up by gaining yardage from the wide receiver position. This area has been a struggle all season, so the odds aren't in their favor.

Green-Beckham will have to have another big day, and Kendall Wright will need to return to his old form. Wright hasn't surpassed 50 yards in a game since a Week 3 shootout with the Colts, but he still leads all wide receivers on the team in yardage. 

Some key injuries at cornerback, including Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, are currently plaguing the Jets, per John Glennon of the Tennessean.

If these two miss the game, it will drastically increase the Titans' chances to muster up enough points to make things interesting. 

The Titans will probably try to find early success with Antonio Andrews, but the odds are stacked against him if the Titans can't throw the ball consistently to their wide receivers. Until they earn respect from Jets secondary, their defense will leave virtually no running room for Andrews and Cobb.

Perrish Cox vs. Brandon Marshall

This is another tough matchup that the Titans have little chance of winning. Perrish Cox has had an up-and-down type of year, but he remains the best cornerback that the Titans currently have. He'll likely draw the ridiculous assignment of Brandon Marshall, whose coming off an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. 

The Titans have shown on a consistent basis that they can't stop the opposition's top receiver. They just got burned by Robinson for three touchdowns, but they still found a way to win thanks to a high-scoring output from the offense.

They won't be so lucky in this game. The Titans will have to win this game on defense and hope to grind out 10 to 14 points. 

Don't let the top-10 passing ranking on defense fool you—the Titans are a mess in the secondary. They've benefited greatly from facing limited quarterbacks and an aggressive defense that gets a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

The margin for error will be so minute for this defense to keep the Jets out of the end zone. Bending, but not breaking, will be key. With Marshall being such a dangerous red-zone threat, Cox will have his hands full trying to stop him. This matchup alone could end up winning this game comfortably for the Jets.

If Marshall is having his way with this matchup, then it will only further open things up for Eric Decker on the other side. 

Titans Special Teams vs. Jets Special Teams

Heavy underdogs like the Titans are have to be perfect on special teams, and they've been far from perfect this season.

The Titans will need better starting field position than they've regularly been giving to the offense. A special teams touchdown in the kick return game is how upsets can happen. It's what the Titans will need, and rookie Tre McBride needs to play smart. He can't run the ball out only to get tackled in the shadow of his own goal post. 

The same can be said of the kickoff coverage. Forcing the Jets to travel a long field will propel the Titans defense to put pressure on Fitzpatrick. They can't give him a short field and make it easier on him. 

A host of special teams gaffs have led to a few Tennessee losses this season, with the Thursday night loss to the Jaguars and a Week 2 loss to the Browns being the two that immediately jump to mind. 

If they're sharp on special teams, they can perhaps grind this game out to the fourth quarter. It's also likely that this could end up being the type of ugly game that's won by who has the more accurate kicker. 

Matchup X-Factors

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Titans Defensive X-Factor: Jurrell Casey

Getting constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been the main ingredient to the success that the Titans have enjoyed on defense. It rushes quarterback into difficult throws, doesn't allow passing routes to develop and obviously leads to a lot more sacks.

The Titans are tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks with 34 total, and most of that production has come from the linebacker spot.

Jurrell Casey needs a big game to try to neutralize a Jets offense that is going to look to get the ball to Marshall and Decker on a consistent basis. Casey has the ability to disrupt offensive strategies and be the ultimate sidekick to a secondary.

For the Titans to turn this into an ugly defensive battle, Casey needs to constantly be in the grill of Fitzpatrick. Even though Fitzpatrick is having a great year, he's always prone to throwing interceptions when he's rushed.

Casey also has to be careful not to overpursue, because Fitzpatrick is capable of breaking containment for a long scramble.

Titans Offensive X-Factor: Delanie Walker

Outside of Mariota, could it really be anyone else? Walker is the only reliable target, and he keeps putting up big numbers despite defenses knowing the ball his coming his way often.

Any offense that the Titans generate through the air against a hard-nosed Jets defense will have to come primarily from Walker. If he can make some big catches early in the game, it should open up more things for the running game.

Final Prediction: Jets 27, Titans 17

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Mike Mularkey looking to get to .500 as interim head coach

Embracing the spoiler role is what the Titans have to do from this point on, and they'll have four opportunities to do that. It starts with the Jets, who are a hard team to figure out. They're definitely elite on defense, and they have a deadly receiving combination of Marshall and Decker.

This is a horrible matchup for the Titans, most notably with how they're going to limit the Jets passing game.

They haven't been great against mobile quarterbacks, and their biggest weakness on the entire roster is in the secondary. It's hard to see how the Titans will keep Fitzpatrick from connecting early and often with his two star receivers. 

The Jets rushing attack is also nothing to scoff at with Chris Ivory. They're a balanced team offensively, and it will be tough for the Titans to shut down both.

Even if the Titans do play well on defense, their margin for error will be so thin to keep themselves within striking distance on the scoreboard. 

As for the Tennessee offense, it will be difficult for them to rush the ball. Don't expect big days from Andrews or Cobb. It will put a lot of pressure on the arm of Mariota, and that will be a major challenge for a rookie quarterback. 

It's still unclear if Revis will be able to suit up, as he's still recovering from a concussion suffered over two weeks ago. He's making improvements, via ESPN.com's Rich Cimini.

The other half of the Jets' two-headed monster at cornerback, Cromartie, also missed practice, per Glennon.

At the very least, the Jets will be banged up at the position. That will work in the Titans' favor to keep the game somewhat close. With that said, the Jets will clamp down and pull away in the fourth quarter by putting together some long scoring drives. 

Prediction: Jets 27, Titans 17