JACKSONVILLE – Here they are again.
The Jaguars, eliminated from the postseason last week, will play a road game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. With the playoffs officially out of the picture, the storylines are pride, professionalism and development.
Those aren’t words you want to hear with five regular-season games remaining, but they’re ones the Jaguars (2-10) are saying as a season that began with high hopes approaches an end.
The storylines are similar in Tennessee, with the Titans (3-9) struggling much of the season under first-year head coach Brian Callahan.
A key difference: Titans starting quarterback Will Levis will play whereas Jaguars starting Trevor Lawrencequarterback will miss the game after being placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
While Levis struggled to start the season, and while he missed three games with a shoulder injury, he has steadied in recent weeks. The Titans enter the final weeks of the season trying to see if Levis will be their long-term starter, and they’re also trying to establish an identity in a new regime.
That makes them a tricky, motivated opponent – which in turn makes them a difficult opponent.