Titans at Jaguars
THE STORY: A couple of weeks ago, it seemed the Tennessee Titans would be the team entering their opener under a cloud of uncertainty. Now that characterization has shifted to their Week 1 opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans and first-year head coach Mike Munchak finally have star running back Chris Johnson back in the fold after a long holdout, while the host Jaguars will begin a new era Sunday after releasing quarterback David Garrard earlier in the week.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Jaguars -2, O/U 37
ABOUT THE TITANS (2010: 6-10, T-3rd AFC South): The Titans hope they've added some stability on offense with veteran Matt Hasselbeck taking over at quarterback. Hasselbeck passed for 3,000 yards last season in Seattle, but he had only 12 touchdown passes to go with 17 interceptions. Having Johnson, who leads the NFL with 4,598 rushing yards since 2008, running behind him should help. Johnson rushed for 111 yards on 26 carries in his last game in Jacksonville, a 30-3 Titans victory. He has averaged 105.3 rushing yards in six games against the Jaguars.
ABOUT THE JAGUARS (2010: 8-8, 2nd AFC South): The Jaguars' quarterback situation is anything but stable. A week ago, Luke McCown was third on the depth chart behind Garrard and first-round pick Blaine Gabbert, but now he's set to make his first start since 2007 with Tampa Bay. The turmoil at quarterback is likely to mean the Jaguars will lean on RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew hurt the Titans with 186 rushing yards in the most recent meeting, a 17-6 road win for the Jaguars, and he has averaged 140 rushing yards in his past three games against Tennessee.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Jaguars CB Rashean Mathis has six interceptions against the Titans, his most against any opponent. Mathis has a franchise-record 29 career interceptions.
2. With his head coaching debut Sunday, Munchak will become the 12th Hall of Fame player to serve as a head coach since 1970.
3. With 1,324 rushing yards last season, Jones-Drew joined Fred Taylor as the only players in franchise history with back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards.