December 12, 2015, Troy, NY The Tennessee Titans (3-9) visit the Metropolitan area to take on the New York Jets (7-5). Tennessee ended an 11-game home losing streak in a shootout with the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 42-39. The Titans are led by interim head coach Mike Mularkey. Mularkey replaced Ken Whisenhunt, who was terminated with a 3-20 record, in slightly under two full seasons. Whisenhunt was unable to win consistently in his second stint as a head coach. During his first one, Whisenhunt reached the Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals and was given a five-year contract by Tennessee. Mularkey has previous head coaching experience in stops with the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. QB Marcus Mariota was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota has experienced growing pains as a rookie signal caller. Mariota has shown flashes of brilliance and has an opportunity to develop into a franchise quarterback for the next head coach. Defensively, the Titans secondary is coming off a rough outing versus the Jaguars.
The Jets, behind QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, rallied from a 20-10 4th quarter deficit to defeat the Giants, 23-20 in OT. Fitzpatrick, behind pinpoint passing and headfirst rushes, has become a playmaking genius under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Fitzpatrick has passed for 6 TDs without an INT in consecutive wins over the Dolphins and Giants. The receiving duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker should be able to exploit the Titans’ porous secondary.
Defensively, CB Darelle Revis returns after missing two starts due to injury and should shore up the coverage scheme. New York’s pass rush must get to Mariota and close down his running lanes. Mariota was able to elude defenders en route to an 87-yard rushing TD on a QB scramble versus the Jaguars. The Jets must also solve their special teams’ woes in order to secure victory.
Per Scoresandodds.com, New York is the favorite at -7.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The game will be broadcast by CBS.