The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars face off at 12:00 p.m. this Sunday from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

It’s the first of two meetings between the division rivals this season. The Jaguars are sitting pretty at 7-4 and have playoff hopes in their heads. The Titans are well out of playoff contention at 1-10, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pose a threat to the Jags.

The Titans are showing growth and improvement each week, and last week they nearly mounted a comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Ahead of their game against the Jags this week, Titans Wire went behind enemy lines with Jaguars Wire to gain some insight into this year’s Jaguars team.

Brian Thomas was rumored to be on the market at the trade deadline, but there was no movement. What’s the situation there, and has it impacted his play?

Paul Bretl: After that report came out, Liam Coen made it clear that the Jaguars weren’t moving on from Thomas Jr. Overall, this season, Thomas Jr. has flashed the playmaking abilities we know he possesses, but the consistency hasn’t been there. He has missed the last three games as well with an ankle injury, but will return against Tennessee. Coen mentioned earlier in the week how Thomas Jr.’s ability to stretch the field is an element that the Jaguars offense has been missing without him.

The Jaguars have one of the top defenses in the league, while the offense is more in the middle of the pack. How has the defensive play helped the offense keep this team relevant?

The Jaguars have been excellent at taking the ball away this season. Their 18 takeaways are the fifth-most in football. Those turnovers not only take points off the board from the opponent, but also provide the Jacksonville offense with additional possessions and, oftentimes, good field position.

How has the addition of Jakobi Meyers impacted the offense?

Meyers has made an immediate impact. For one, as he’s been throughout his career, he’s been extremely reliable — something this Jaguars’ offense needed with drops being a major issue this season. In addition to that, he fits the Coen offense well, able to line up inside and out, attack the middle of the field, and is a willing run blocker.

What part of the Jags’ defense should the Titans be most concerned about?

Two weeks ago, I’m probably not picking the pass rush here, but as of late, the Jaguars have been quite disruptive. That recent surge is a credit to everyone from the play up front, to Anthony Campanile’s game plans, the linebackers, and the sound coverage on the back end, providing extra time to get home. When it comes to getting after the quarterback, it’s not only the defensive front that has created pressure; Campanile has been willing to blitz and use simulated pressures to cause added confusion.

Game prediction.

I do think this game will be close, but I’m picking the Jaguars. I think that Jacksonville will control this game up front. I expect the pass rush to continue getting after the quarterback while the offense leans into the run game, which has often been the key to this unit’s success this season. Jaguars 24, Titans 20