Paul Kuharsky, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

In matchup of two terrible teams, Titans see value and opportunity

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the NFL’s worst team over the last five years.

At 21-57 they deserve to be the punch line on jokes about bad NFL football.

The bucket of ice water over the head of Titans fans is that their team is not far behind.

The Titans are only nine games better in the same period, and they account for four of those Jaguars wins -- 19 percent of them.

If Tennessee loses Thursday night at EverBank Field, the Titans will have split with the Jaguars for six consecutive years, which means they will have lost to the Jaguars for six consecutive years.

Jacksonville has been the underdog in 42 consecutive games, a streak that ends with this one.

Two 2-12 teams matched up in a primetime game creates fertile soil for scheduling complaints and jokes.

The Titans don’t really care.

“That’s what they think, some of them are fans, some of them are not,” receiver Kendall Wright said. “If you’re winning they like you, if you’re not, they don’t. Fans are fans, that’s what most of them do….

“But a lot of people will turn the TV on on Thursday because it’s Thursday night football, there is nothing else to watch, why not watch football? We’re going to try to give them a show. With the record we’ve got, we’re still going to try to give them a show and win a game.”

The Titans are hardly going to announce they’re waving the white flag. Fans may want a loss to ensue the Titans outrank the Jaguars for draft position. Players want a win so they outrank the Jaguars in the standings.

“We don’t want to be at the bottom (of the division) at all,” said defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, the team’s best defender.

Said outside linebacker Derrick Morgan: “It’s still a lot to play for, whoever you are. I could see how (people may joke about it), but we’re not focused on that. By this point in the year, anything that comes out about us is going to be negative.

“You can’t buy too much into what the media is saying and that’s being put out there about our team, we’ve just got to focus on getting a win, that’s the main thing, it’s been a while.”

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