The Tennessee Titans continue to play out the string of the 2024 season with Sunday’s Week 17 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tennessee’s 38-30 loss at Indianapolis last Sunday was the team’s fourth straight defeat, the last three against teams with a losing record.

Jacksonville (3-12) was one of those losses, with the Jaguars winning 10-6 on Dec. 8 in Nashville. Mac Jones continues to be the team’s starting quarterback as it sputters to the finish.

Here’s how The Tennessean’s experts pick Sunday’s Week 17 NFL game:

OUCH: Grading Tennessee Titans moves in 2024, from Mike Vrabel firing to Will Levis benching

Titans vs. Jaguars picks

Nick Suss, Titans beat reporter

Titans 27, Jaguars 13

Yes, it’s a little bit crazy to think these Titans can beat anyone by 14 points. But look: They had ample opportunities to beat Jacksonville a couple of weeks ago. The Titans’ offense has looked better in the red zone these past two weeks, and if they can actually finish off some of the drives they stalled in last time, this should be a winnable game. 

Gentry Estes, columnist

Jaguars 17, Titans 10

The Jags may not have much, but their pass rushers were a problem for the Titans last time. No reason to expect that’ll be any different.

Nick Gray, trending reporter

Jaguars 6, Titans 3

Nothing would surprise me, except a clean, flawless Titans victory.

Tom Kreager, sports director

Jaguars 28, Titans 17

Titans are doing their part to help themselves with their 2025 NFL Draft first-round pick.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Starting in 2025, bartenders and servers in Tennessee will be required to take part in trainings with the goal to make everybody feel safe while out on the town.

“Requirement for these server permits to holders to be trained in understanding the role of alcohol and sexual assault and harassment and recognizing the role of drugs and assault and strategies that can hopefully help prevent patron drugging and establishments,” Russell Thomas, the Executive Director of Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission said.

The trainings will teach servers what signs to look out for, as well as what they need to do whenever they notice something that doesn’t look right.

“To identify people that might be in distress or how to deal with conflict resolution as far as customers being inside your establishment and needing some assistance to feel safe,” Yee-Haw Brewery General Manager Charles Ellis said.

Places such as Yee-Haw Brewery have a safe bar initiative. This means they train their staff to look out for those signs and have measures in place for anybody who feels unsafe at the bar.

“All of our staff has been trained on how to spot somebody in need of assistance,” Ellis said. “If there seems kind of fishy, or if they need some help with some domestic issues, we’re trained to be able to help them out.”

One of the big changes this year will be the length of how long one can hold a serving license. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission says instead of every five years, they will need to renew every two years.

“By increasing the frequency of training that would increase the focus on preventing some of these things from occurring,” Thomas said.

Copyright 2024 WVLT. All rights reserved.

The Tennessee Titans are going to need to make a quarterback move this offseason. It’s clear that Will Levis is not ready to be a starter and Mason Rudolph isn’t a starting caliber quarterback either.

With that being said, many have been urging the Titans to make a move for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.

Darnold has put together a massive season so far with the Vikings and has led the team to a 13-2 record entering Week 17 action. He has looked the part of a legitimate star so far this year.

Even though the numbers look great, one writer thinks that Tennessee should stay away from Darnold.

Sam Phalen of AtoZ Sports has warned the Titans to avoid Darnold “at all costs” this offseason.

“You could probably make compelling arguments for or against all of the quarterbacks on the market. But for me, there’s one option the Titans need to avoid at all costs: Paying Sam Darnold franchise quarterback money in free agency,” Phalen wrote.

His warning makes a lot of sense. Darnold has looked nothing close to being this kind of player with any of the other teams he has played with. He could very well be experiencing a big blowup due to the offense he is in and the weapons he is playing with.

So far this season in 15 games, Darnold has completed 67.2 percent of his pass attempts for 3,776 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He has also picked up 205 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

At just 27 years old, he is still young enough to end up being a franchise quarterback for a team if he keeps playing the way he has shown so far this year with Minnesota.

However, the truth of the matter is that Tennessee does not have a Justin Jefferson for him to throw to. Brian Callahan is a good offensive mind, the Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system fits Darnold perfectly.

There is a very good chance that he could end up falling flat immediately after leaving the Vikings.

That being said, the Titans simply cannot afford to miss on their next quarterback move. Another mistake at the position could lead to yet another all-out rebuild.

Expect to continue hearing Tennessee get linked as a fit for Darnold. Phalen certainly doesn’t think they should pay him big money, but the Titans could feel different.

It’s going to be very interesting to see what the upcoming offseason has in store for Tennessee.

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