A New Situation for Dobbs, A Familiar One for Titans

For the second time since Mike Vrabel became head coach, a backup quarterback leads the offense in an all-or-nothing NFL regular season finale.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

NASHVILLE – This is not the first time the Tennessee Titans have been in this position.

Five years ago, Mike Vrabel’s first as a head coach, the Titans needed a win in the final week of the regular season to make the playoffs. And they needed a backup quarterback to help them do it while their opponent had a No. 1 overall draft pick running their offense.

The hope is that Josh Dobbs can measure up against Trevor Lawrence on Saturday in Jacksonville better than Blaine Gabbert did against Andrew Luck in 2018.

“The game and the magnitude of the game with everything around it, is what you dream of playing in NFL football,” Dobbs said this week. “You want to play meaningful football, especially in December and January. You want to play in those playoff games, so you want to be a part of that.

“I've watched and been a part of teams that have been a part of that. To play in it, there is a lot of excitement around it.”

The Titans’ only chance to make the playoffs is to defeat Jacksonville. That would create a tie for first place in the AFC South, and Tennessee would claim the tiebreaker by virtue of the better division record.

Jacksonville has a little more margin for error, albeit not much of one. The Jaguars can still reach the postseason with a loss, but they would need three other teams (Miami, New England and Pittsburgh) to lose as well.

In that sense, this week’s matchup is different than the 2018 showdown between the Titans and Indianapolis Colts. Then, the only thing at stake for either team was the final AFC wild card spot after the Houston Texans had clinched the division title with a victory earlier in the day.

“Momentum, streaks, wins, losses, whatever, it doesn’t matter,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said. “You just look at Tennessee, right? They’re in this game for a reason, and they’re playing for the same things we’re playing for, and it’s a little bit different. It doesn’t really matter.

“You come out Saturday night, and you’ve got to be ready to go, and you’ve got to play, and you’ve got to play with energy. You’ve got to play excitable. You’ve got to do your job and focus in on each play.”

Momentum definitely is on the Jaguars’ side this time. They have won four in a row and six of their last eight to close what seemed like an insurmountable gap between them and the Titans. Jacksonville (8-8), in fact, comes into this contest one game ahead of Tennessee (7-9), which has lost six in a row.

In 2018, the Colts overcame a 1-5 start and had won eight of nine headed into the final weekend of the season. The Titans had won four straight and six of eight as each tried, unsuccessfully, to run down the Texans.

“It all just really just comes down to how we play this week,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “Whatever we did last week, three weeks ago, or whatever we did against Jacksonville you have to … in this league it is all about this game, how it unfolds, what transpires, how you take care of the football, and how you can make the corrections.

“If we can do some things a little bit better, we will give ourselves a chance to go and win.”

Vrabel and his staff determined early in the week that Dobbs at quarterback in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill gives the Titans their best chance at victory.

Signed off Detroit’s practice squad on Dec. 17, he got the call last week over rookie Malik Willis against the Dallas Cowboys. It was the first start for the sixth-year veteran, and the 39 passes he threw in that contest were more than twice as many as he had attempted in his career up to that point.

To deliver in this circumstance, therefore, seems like a tall order. The challenge is enhanced by the fact that Jacksonville’s quarterback is Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 who seemingly has come into his own in recent weeks. His 368 passing yards last month against the Titans were a career-high, and Jacksonville’s offense has scored more than 30 points in three of the last four games.

Five years ago, it was Gabbert against Luck, the No. 1 choice six years earlier, because Marcus Mariota sustained a season-ending injury a week earlier. Gabbert had a much more extensive NFL résumé, which included 47 career starts for four different teams.

It was pretty much no contest. The Colts scored the first 14 points and stayed ahead by at least a touchdown all the way to a 33-17 victory. Luck was 24-35 passing for 285 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Gabbert was 18-29 for 165 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Dobbs won’t have to do it all himself. The Titans’ offense is built around running back Derrick Henry, after all.

The real question, though, is whether Dobbs has done enough in the NFL and during his brief time with Tennessee to do what is needed when there is so much at stake. He, for one, is ready to find out.

“Everyone's journey to wherever they are – your journey, my journey – you have your dreams, goals, and aspirations, and I have mine,” Dobbs said. “… You just have to live in your world, maximize your journey, the opportunities that come, and take advantage of them. I'm excited for this one this weekend.

“… It is a tremendous opportunity. It starts there. I'm thankful to be here, be a part of this team, just for the way that the guys have welcomed me in and allowed me to just come and be myself. I'm excited to lead this week. I know it is a big game. I haven't been here the entire year, but any time you have a chance to go to the playoffs, it is a tremendous opportunity. I'm excited for it.”