Titans-Jaguars: Kerry Collins' Three Second-Half Touchdowns Dooms Jags

Titans remain undefeated thanks to three second-half touchdowns from Kerry Collins.

Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins threw three second-half touchdowns as the Titans rallied to beat division rival Jacksonville 24-14 and stay perfect at 10-0. Now at 4-6, Jacksonville’s playoff chances are even bleaker and the schedule doesn’t light up from here on out.

The Good

Jacksonville ran the ball and played ball control football with running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. The fact that Jones-Drew had 17 carries and three receptions can only add to the productivity of the Jaguars offense.

Jones-Drew finished with 66 yards and two touchdowns while Taylor gained 58 yards on 12 carries.

Jacksonville’s young linebackers Justin Durant and Daryl Smith are making the most of their opportunities. Don’t let Durant’s six tackles mislead you; he was all over field against the Titans, as was his partner in crime Daryl Smith.

The decision of Head Coach Jack Del Rio to bench veteran linebacker Mike Peterson is one of the best decisions he has made all year.

Rookie kick returner Brian Witherspoon played perhaps his best game of the season, giving Jacksonville great field position on punt returns, including a 31-yard punt return towards the end of the half that set up a Jones-Drew touchdown.

Jacksonville’s run defense didn’t allow Tennessee’s running backs LenDale White or Chris Johnson a gain of over 20 yards. The defense was quick to the ball and held White and Johnson in check most of the game.

The Bad

Blowing a 14-3 lead was arguably the hardest part of this game to watch. Jacksonville’s offense went into hiding in the second half and the defense lost its intensity.

Corner Brian Williams often looked lost in coverage, including on the game-deciding touchdown pass from Kerry Collins to Justin Gage.

Jacksonville’s defensive line got decent pressure but not nearly enough to rattle Collins into any bad throws. Several of Tennessee’s incompletions came on drop passes by receivers and tail backs.

Without receiver Matt Jones, the Jaguars' pass offense is extremely inefficient. Quarterback David Garrard looked out of sink in the second half finishing 13 of 30 for 135 yards and an interception. To make matters worse, Jacksonville has no deep threat receiver, and that was further proven against Tennessee.                      

The Jaguars did set a record in the loss though with punter Adam Podlesh punting the ball away 10 times.

Next week, Jacksonville takes on 5-5 Minnesota, while Tennessee looks to remain undefeated when they take on Bret Favre and the New York Jets.