Thursday Night Preview: Can the Tennessee Titans Hold on to Their Slim Playoff Hopes?

So far this season, we haven't been blessed by a whole of great football on Thursday night. I wouldn't hold your breath for a good one this week, because it ain't likely to break the mold.

Per our power rankings, tonight's game between the Tennessee Titans (22nd) and Jacksonville Jaguars (31st) is a clash between two of the league's worst teams. These two met up in a Thursday night contest last season, and it was a 19-13 snore-fest.

While Jacksonville (2-4) is pretty much out of the playoff picture, the Titans (3-4) are clinging to slim postseason hopes, with our models giving them a 19% chance of making the postseason. Can Tennessee avoid a crushing loss and stay alive in the someone-has-to-win-it AFC South?

Quarterback Breakdown

Let's start with Marcus Mariota, who hasn't taken a huge leap forward so far in his second NFL season but will be the top passer in this game. Mariota ranks 21st in Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back among quarterbacks who have recorded at least 100 drop backs. In terms of Passing Success Rate -- the percentage of drop backs that positively impacted NEP -- Mariota is a bit better, ranking 14th with a 48.7% Success Rate.