Titans vs. Jaguars Monday Night Spread Preview, Expert Picks, Score Prediction

Since divisional realignment, there has never been a situation this late in the season in which all four teams in a division have had the same record. That’s the case right now in the AFC South, where all four are knotted at 3-2. With the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts both favorites this week, there is added pressure on the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars to perform on Monday Night Football.


Here are the three keys to the game for NFL betting action on MNF:

Titans vs. Jags Key #1: Chris Johnson: Over or Under 100 yards?

This is the simple question that has defined Titans games this year. When Johnson gets to triple digits, they win. When he doesn’t, they lose. The Jags rank No. 13 in the NFL in rush defense at 102.8 yards per game, but there really hasn’t been a high powered rushing attack come to town yet this year. The San Diego Chargers would be the only team that would qualify as such, but Ryan Mathews was knocked out of that game early, which screwed up the running game the rest of the way. Jacksonville could be in for a world of hurt against CJ in this one.

- Titans vs. Jaguars Monday Night Spread: Titans -3 points

- Titans vs. Jaguars Monday Night Over-Under: 45 points

- Titans vs. Jaguars Monday Night Expert Picks: Click Here

Titans vs. Jags Key #2: Does David Garrard have the ability to be a hero again?

Truth be told, Garrard really hasn’t had a great year for the Jags, and the only reason he is keeping his job is because the team is winning. He knows that the second the team slips, both he and head coach Jack Del Rio are on very hot seats. Garrard’s completion percentage is as high as it has ever been at 66.4 percent, but he just hasn’t shown that ability to consistently win games on his own; save for that ‘W’ against the Colts in which he threw for 163 yards and accounted for three total TDs. Garrard can’t slack and turn the ball over in this one, or Jacksonville is dead in the water.

Titans vs. Jags Key #3: Is the Jacksonville defense really this bad?

Probably, and if that’s the case, it is in a lot of trouble. Four straight foes have scored at least 26 points against this unit, including last week against the lowly Buffalo Bills. It isn’t often that a 36-26 win raises eyebrows against you, but we know that the Jags are capable of giving up 30+ to anyone in the league if they can concede that many to Buffalo. Vince Young, Chris Johnson, and company are licking their chops about getting a chance to drop 30+ points for the second straight weekend.

Simply put, the Jags don’t have enough offense to keep up for as bad as their defense is going to look in this one. Johnson could be in for one of those special nights to remember, as he is going to hit Jacksonville with a force on the ground like it has not seen all season long. Don’t be shocked to see this one get awfully ugly, particularly late. This will be a very physical battle in which the visitors will come away with a comfortable ‘W’.