With a win today, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be alone at the top of the AFC South. Yes, we are only in Week 2 of the season, but starting the season 2-0 with back to back division wins would be an immense show of strength for a team everybody thought was tanking.

The Jaguars have not enjoyed playing the Titans in recent years, going 2-6 against Tennessee since the start of 2016. Much of their struggle boils down to the emergence of running back Derrick Henry, who is undefeated against the Jags every time he has rushed for over 50 yards.

Of course, it was against Jacksonville that Henry had his best career game. On December 6 2018, the former Heisman Trophy winner ran the ball for 238 yards and four touchdowns. Simply put, the Jags must minimize his impact if they are to win Sunday.

Here are three defenders to keep an eye on in today’s Week 2 matchup:

Taven bryan

Much was made of the improvements made by Taven Bryan over the course of the offseason. He finished the season strong last year and showed flashes of why the Jaguars took him in the first-round back in 2018, but Marrone expects him to anchor the defensive line on a consistent basis this season.

It will be imperative that he closes down gaps at the line of scrimmage and penetrates the Titans’ offensive line if the team has any chance of shutting down Henry. The Jaguars’ defensive front has lost multiple starters since the end of 2019, which means the pressure now falls on Bryan who has learned under Calais Campbell and Marcell Dareus before the departures.

K’Lavon Chaisson

It was an up and down start to K’Lavon Chaisson’s NFL career. The first-rounder had an interception called back for a hold on D.J Hayden, but he really struggled to win pass-rush reps against a strong Indianapolis offensive line.

With another physical, run-first team on the slate later on today, Chaisson will be tasked with learning quickly to try and become the latest of this class of rookies to really leave his mark on an NFL game.

Josh Jones

Josh Jones found himself doing the rounds in Jacksonville media, as he discussed his tough journey before finding his feet as an NFL starter with the Jaguars. Jones had a good game against Indianapolis, but with fellow safety Jarrod Wilson now on injured reserve with a hamstring issue, the onus is really on him to assert himself and help young safety Andrew Wingard.

The Jaguars secondary looked good last weekend, thanks largely to C.J Henderson’s dominant debut. However, Jones will have a lot to do this afternoon, both in coverage and in the box as Jacksonville will likely be stacking eight or nine against this potent run game.

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