Rivalries just don’t mean the same thing in the NFL as they do in college football. Off the top of my head, I can’t name a single NFL rivalry that has the same sort of vitriol as an Alabama-Auburn or Michigan-Ohio State type of rivalry. It’s just rare – but after the last three showdowns between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars, it certainly seems like this could be developing into one of such rivalries.
As of this writing, the Jags are hovering around a 6.5-point favorite on most sports books for Sunday’s game. While I hope my beloved Titans can pull off the upset, this is definitely a case of “hope in one hand, shit in the other.”
The Jags look like they’re the most complete in the AFC right now, while the Titans are depleted with injuries. It’s not like we’re gearing up for a game against the winless Houston Texans. This one’s going to be a battle, and if Mike Vrabel and company don’t put together a creative, brilliant game plan like they did last week, it could get ugly for the Titans.
But, maybe the rivalry was always there…but the pure hatred between Tits fans and Jags fans began amplifying the night the Jags defeated the Titans, 38-17, and kept them from reaching the playoffs in 2016. That was probably the best Titans team we’ve seen since 2008, and while 2017’s team limped into the playoffs, a lot of folks felt that 2016 would’ve really made some noise.
Then, you had the Titans sweep the Jags in 2017. The Titans remembered that Christmas Eve game from the year prior, and played with a lot of passion. They “owed them one” if you remember the media headlines from game week. That was a tight one until the Titans pulled away in the third quarter, ultimately winning the game 37-16. It was also the game when Jalen Ramsey got flagged for unnecessary roughness after pushing Delanie Walker in the end zone. A lot of people got involved in that scrum.
The second meeting between these two teams last season wasn’t quite as explosive on the field, but equally chippy. The Titans won a defensive struggle 15-10, but it was all of the talk after the game that made headlines.
That was when defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said this when asked about playing the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs instead of the Titans:
“I would love to play their sorry ass again,” Dareus said shortly after the game ended. “They shouldn’t have showed me that. They shouldn’t have showed me how sorry their ass is. That’s embarrassing that they would call themselves any kind of an enforcer of a team. Oh my God.
“When we suit up next year, they better be ready because they already know what kind of ass-whooping I’ll hand out to them. … Dang, I wish we could have played them next week. That would have been an easy win next week, oh my goodness, but we’ve got Buffalo.”
Yeah…but, we know what happened next. The Titans pulled off an unbelievable comeback in Kansas City before being slaughtered by the Patriots. The Jags defeated the Bills and the Steelers before losing to the Pats in the AFC Championship game. Like I said, two of the future elites in the AFC.
But, do you think that either team has forgotten about this recent history? I don’t – this game is going to be an emotional, scrappy brawl between two up and coming teams engaged in a blood feud for AFC South supremacy.
Can’t. Wait.
Also, this post gives me the perfect excuse to revisit this gem:
The young maestro Marcus Mariota puts the Jags in the dirts as he keeps the drive alive in Week 17, putting him at #2 on our #MikeTop10 countdown #stiffarm #Heisman #moreMarcustocome? (Video Credit Tennessee Titans Hype Youtube Channel) pic.twitter.com/0AKb8ppexY
— Titans Radio (@titansradio) July 24, 2018
I hate the Jags.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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