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The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped their seventh straight game on Sunday http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/a ... ell-jersey , this time losing to the Buffalo Bills 24-21 in a game that wasn’t really that close. The loss means that the Jaguars have not won a game in two full calendar months, as their next game takes place in December against the Indianapolis Colts.It was the second week in a row that quarterback Blake Bortles struggled to make the simplest passes and it was clear the coaching staff had no confidence in him to do so. At one point down 14-0, the Jaguars threw the ball just once (a screen) on a long touchdown drive. They felt more comfortable just continuously running the football rather than let Bortles drop back. Last week I asked if they didn’t trust Bortles enough to where it was made a point to not let him throw unless absolutely necessary and I’m still waiting for an answer, since head coach Doug Marrone after the loss on Sunday said he never considered benching Bortles in favor of backup Cody Kessler.Marrone has been asked two weeks in a row if he considering benching Bortles and even announced that Bortles would start last week leading up to this game. This all feels and seems incredibly weird and logic defying. I don’t think Kessler is any good either, but after seven losses in a row and it being painfully clear you do not trust the quarterback and the quarterback doesn’t seem to trust himself... how can you not even be considering a change just for the sake of trying something different to get out of the slide?I wondered this last night and I figured it came down to three things.They know Cody Kessler is worseWhile Kessler looked fine in the preseason and even produced a spark against the Houston Texans for the half he played, maybe the coaching staff simply knows that he’s just flat out worse. They do seem him every day at practice and sit in with him on meetings. It’s entirely possible that he’s just awful. But then that raises the concern that general manager Dave Caldwell by passed drafting a QB (sorry Tanner Lee, you don’t count) or signing a veteran back up in favor of trading for Kessler... who might be so bad you can’t even bench the starter who looks like a complete lost cause. So if that’s the case, why is Kessler still here?The don’t actually think Bortles is playing that badI cannot imagine it’s this, given how the games are called. It’s clear the do not trust Bortles and they’re not even going to try to do anything in the passing game unless they absolutely have to and even then it’s going to be easy one-read routes or something with an easy checkdown. Maybe they think all the injuries just destroyed everything and how Bortles is playing is the best anyone could hope to play given the situation. I simply think that’s nonsense, but we have to entertain that it could be true.The front office mandates Blake playsThe final possible scenario is probably the worst and most damning one. When Bortles was benched during the Texans game, Marrone said after the game the position was open. Then 24-hours later via a team release, before any practices http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/a ... don-jersey , Bortles was announced as the starter going to London and Marrone has said each time he’s asked that he has not considered benching Bortles for Kessler. Why the sudden resistance? You did it once. Bortles has actually played much worse, twice, and you didn’t even consider it?That sounds fishy. Then again, you have to consider that if Bortles is benched again and in the sense that Kessler starts a game, then Bortles is completely done. It means he’s a bust, they screwed up giving him an extension and he shouldn’t be on the team after the season and the person responsible for drafting/extending him should be fired. While many of us may say “DUH!” and feel logically that is obvious, it’s still a massive step for a team to actually admit.Then again, maybe Marrone is posturing and continues to roll Bortles out there to hammer home the fact that he’s weighed down by an anchor and this is the best he can do given the circumstances in the hopes that general manager Dave Caldwell is pushed out and they get a new quarterback that Marrone wants in 2019. The Jacksonville Jaguars try to atone their winless 2017 record against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field at 1:00pm EST.UNIFORM WATCH: White tops and teal trousers for Sunday.OpponentThe 1-1 Titans have played at an 0-2 caliber to start the season and first year head coach Mike Vrabel had to dig deep into his bag of tricks to score on a fake punt from his own territory to sneak a win against the Houston Texans last week. The Jaguars will need to be extremely conservative on special teams to make sure that this doesn’t happen, as this is really the only way I can see the Titans stealing a win this week, a la the Rams game last year.Offensively, the Titans are somewhat in shambles under first year offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. We still don’t know whether Marcus Mariota or Blaine Gabbert will get the start this weekend, but Mariota has looked so lost in the new system that Jags fans should almost be hoping he gets the nod from a tactical aspect. There has been absolutely no chemistry with the wide receivers (especially last year’s fifth overall pick Corey Davis) http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/a ... mbo-jersey , and their most targeted playmaker from last season in Delanie Walker has already been sidelined for the rest of 2018 with an ankle injury. What was once the exotic smash mouth running game now actually resembles Smash Mouth singer Steven Harwell trying to tote the rock, and Derrick Henry is averaging less than three yards per carry with Dion Lewis getting the majority of snaps. Most notably, the Titans usual stalwarts at offensive tackle in Taylor Lewan (concussion) and Jack Conklin (ACL) have been sidelined due to injury, but both returned to practice this week and will return on Sunday. Yannick Ngakoue will be anxious to knock the rust out of them. Defensively, the Titans may not have top shelf personnel across all eleven positions, but they have certainly taken on the gritty persona of their head coach. The unit plays hard and could be boosted with rookie linebackers Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry playing meaningful snaps after being hampered by injuries. Along the defensive line, Jurrell Casey has been a problem for this franchise but has yet to face former first team All-Pro guard in Andrew Norwell. Blake Bortles will need to stay away from throwing at impressive free safety Kevin Byard, who had eight interceptions in 2017.For more information on the Titans, check out Ryan O’Bleness’ crossover piece with Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles.StorylinesWith last week’s signature win against New England, the Jaguars have now won their last seven consecutive home games, and Blake Bortles has become the first Jaguars quarterback to begin the season 2-0 since 2006. Midweek reports indicated that there were still around 5,000 tickets still available for purchase http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/a ... uye-jersey , and the team will need our support to give the players the home field advantage that they thrive off of:Another popular storyline that has surfaced among the fan base this week is whether or not the Jaguars offense is better off without Leonard Fournette, and a general feeling exists that Fournette hamstrings the creativity of Nathaniel Hackett and his personnel packaging and play calling. We’ll see this week, but Bortles’ answering of the bell last week has inspired increased confidence from his teammates and the rest of the media, and we may have seen a critical turning point for the offense. If it were up to me, I would study the different ways that Sean McVay uses last year’s AP Offensive Player of the Year Toddy Gurley and use Fournette, a much better pass catcher than given credit for, in a similar capacity.Most importantly, a two game lead in the division is at stake and a win could really help the Jaguars start to pull away as the leader in the AFC South after just three games. The Colts have a tough match up this week against a Philadelphia Eagles team with Carson Wentz returning and the Texans square off against a hungry and winless New York Giants team, so this could really give the Jaguars some wiggle room which could allow them to rest some key veteran starters late into the season if they can clinch the division early.Key matchupsJosh Wells vs. Brian OrakpoOne of the few match ups that worry me, Wells will need to step up in the wake of Cam Robinson’s season-ending knee injury and give Blake the time he needs in the pocket. Wells played exceptionally well in spot duty last week but the Titans now have a week to prepare for him and Brian Orakpo is the type of veteran pass rusher who can exploit Wells’ weaknesses with a variety of rush moves.Andrew Norwell vs. Jurrell CaseyBriefly referenced above, Norwell will need to earn his big game check this week going against the Titans’ best defensive player. Casey has been a thorn in the Jaguars side for the last several years and Norwell will have to flash that mean streak in the run game to move Casey off his spot and create some seals for Fournette.Keelan Cole vs. Malcolm ButlerKeelan Cole turned the heads of everybody in the league last week with his spectacular one handed catch, but his job doesn’t get much easier this week going against Malcolm Butler. Butler plays a much more physical brand of football than Stephon Gilmore or Eric Rowe did last week and he will have to show his strength to beat press coverage and win at the point of attack. Expect the Titans to play lots of man press coverage and speedster Adoree Jackson to shadow Dede Westbrook on the other side. Yannick Ngakoue vs. Taylor Lewan/Jack ConklinNgakoue has zero sacks and fans are overreacting about it. Taylor Lewan won’t be quite himself after getting a little Windmill Wisdom knocked into him by Andre Branch in week one and Yannick has absolutely owned Conklin all the way back to the Maryland/Michigan State days. Nsackoue comes back this week http://www.jaguarscheapshop.com/cheap-a ... ole-jersey , folks. Blaine Gabbert vs. Jaguars FansI mentioned earlier that Mariota may be a more attractive option from a tactical perspective for the Jaguars, but where’s the fun in tactics? Not only are Jaguars fans scorned by the aloof persona and lack of ROI from Gabbert’s era in Jacksonville, but there is extra salt in this wound after losing on the road to Gabbert’s Arizona Cardinals last season. If Gabbert does play, the roar of the crowd whenever he gets hit or knocked down will be deafening. Even if he doesn’t play, I would ask the equipment manager for some earmuffs or noise-cancelling headphones sitting on the bench if I were him. He don’t want this smoke.Final predictionIf it were any other team outside of the Titans, I would be incredibly leery of a hangover following an epic win like the one they had this past week against Brady and the Pats. Due to the animosity woven into the fabric of this rivalry, I sincerely doubt that this will be the case. This team has gone on record to say that the Titans were simply more physical than them in both losses last season, and I fully expect the defense to punch them in the mouth regardless of takes that first snap under center.This team doesn’t forget. This team will embarrass you.Jaguars win 35-13.