In Saturday’s game at Jacksonville that will decide the AFC South, Josh Dobbs will get the starting nod for the Tennessee Titans.
The sixth-year veteran is off his first career start in last Thursday’s 27-13 loss to Dallas. Dobbs, a University of Tennessee product, completed 20-of-39 passes for 232 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He had 12 rushing yards on three attempts.
The Titans signed Dobbs off of Detroit’s practice squad on Dec. 21. They are most likely without starting QB Ryan Tannehill for the rest of the season due to a high-ankle sprain that required surgery last month. In Tannehill’s absence, rookie Malik Willis struggled in three starts.
Tannehill was placed on injured reserve last week. Therefore, he can’t return to the field unless Tennessee advances to the AFC Championship Game, and it’s uncertain if he’d be ready even in that unlikely scenario.
Dobbs was a fourth-round pick — the No. 135 overall selection — by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft. During his second season with the club in 2018, Dobbs appeared in five games. He completed 6-of-12 throws for 43 yards with one interception.
In 2020, Dobbs completed 4-of-5 passes for merely two yards in his lone appearance for Pittsburgh. The Lions signed him to their practice squad after he was cut by the Cleveland Browns when they activated Deshaun Watson in early December.
Tennessee drafted Willis with its third-round pick (No. 86 overall), but the Liberty University product has a long way to go. He’s appeared in eight games, completing 31-of-61 passes for 276 yards with zero TD passes and three interceptions. Willis has 123 rushing yards, one TD and a 4.6 yards-per-carry average, but he’s also coughed up a pair of fumbles.
As of Tuesday afternoon, most books had the Jaguars installed as 6.5-point home favorites with a total of 40. The Titans were in the +230 to +248 range on the money line.
When these teams met in Nashville on Dec. 11, Jacksonville captured a 36-22 win as a three-point road underdog. The 58 combined points soared ‘over’ the 41.5-point tally.
Tennessee had won five games in a row in this rivalry until the Jags’ win last month. The Titans won 37-19 at Jacksonville last season and 31-10 in 2020.