Titans vs. Jaguars Week 13: 3 reasons for optimism

The Tennessee Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in an AFC South matchup. It's the first meeting of the season between the Titans and Jags, and the two teams are in completely different positions. The Titans are currently projected to secure the No. 1 overall pick again and have lost six straight games. However, Tennessee was competitive with the Seahawks last week.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville enters Week 13 at 7-4 and is one game out of first place in the AFC South. Can the Titans pull off the upset?

Here are three reasons for optimism for the Titans in Week 13.

Titans' Passing Offense

Frankly, the Titans' passing offense was the most effective it has been all year last week, after steady improvement since the Callahans were sent packing from the organization. Even most Cam Ward naysayers were silenced after his performance last week. He did this with a patchwork receiving core with crucial injuries to Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor. Ward improvised in a high-quality fashion last week. His play did not diminish under pressure, completing multiple absurd off-platform throws last week. Frankly, it was a stunning performance and truly showed that he can be the Titans' franchise cornerstone going forward.

Jaguars' lack of Travon Walker

The Jaguars come into this matchup a little banged up, lacking Travon Walker. He's someone who can swing the tide in the trenches.

Laser-focusing on the crucial with/without pressure number for Travon Walker, it's clear that this defensive line is noticeably worse without Travon Walker. This bodes well for the Titans' battered offensive line and, by extension, the entire offensive operation.

Jaguars' close margins

The Jaguars have been in plenty of close games this season, as evidenced by their measly +17 point differential despite their 7-4 record. Notably, their points allowed are nearly average, at 15th. Their record is noticeably outpacing their point differential. The Jaguars play a lot of close games. They are bound to lose one eventually, especially if they keep playing with their opponents like this.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans vs. Jaguars Week 13: 3 reasons for optimism