Heat on Jaguars' coach in Thursday game against Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Quarterback Blake Bortles said Tuesday that he's not a fan of the mustard-colored uniforms that the Jacksonville Jaguars will don for their Thursday night road game against the Tennessee Titans.

"I think they could have done a better job, and I think they should choose a different color," he said.

Truth is, whatever color uniform Jacksonville has modeled the last few years, the players haven't looked good in them. And if it can't muster up a better response for this game than it did in a lackluster 33-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders Sunday, it could lead to the kind of midseason changes no team wants to make.

Some felt the Jaguars could be a surprise team this year, citing the offseason additions they made to a leaky defense. Instead, they have permitted nearly 27 points per game, putting pressure on an offense that hasn't been able to keep pace.

Bortles has had trouble throwing the ball to his teammates, tossing nine interceptions in the first six games and only making marginal improvements in his accuracy. The running game remains a non-entity most weeks, forcing Bortles to throw nearly 40 times a game and making the offense too one-dimensional.

With a 2-4 record, coach Gus Bradley is squarely on a scalding seat. This is his fourth year in charge, and the one-time Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator is just 14-40. Another poor performance in this one could lead to a firing that owner Shad Khan, who truly likes Bradley, wouldn't want to preside over but might have no choice.

Yet Jacksonville still isn't out of the picture in the AFC South, a claim that can also be made by their opponent. Tennessee (3-4) missed on a great chance to tie Houston for first when it coughed up a lead in the last two minutes Sunday against Indianapolis, losing 34-26.

So this game, despite the lack of pizzazz that comes with putting the Jaguars and Titans in prime time, will have meaning. And from Tennessee's perspective, it could have even more meaning if it was able to make a play or two at the end of last week's game, or in earlier defeats against Oakland and Houston.

"These have all been close games," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. "We've just got to find a way -- especially like this week, that last drive, we felt like if we could hold them to a field goal, we could win that game."

Instead, Tennessee couldn't keep tight end Jack Doyle from beating linebacker Avery Williamson in coverage for the 7-yard touchdown pass that gave the Colts a 27-23 lead. Then quarterback Marcus Mariota was strip-sacked on the first play following the ensuing kickoff, and Robert Mathis returned the fumble 14 yards for the game-clinching score.

The loss dropped Mariota to 2-8 at home. Two of this year's three defeats were marked by late miscues from the second-year pro, who followed up two efficient performances with one that was a little sloppier.

"He doesn't want to let anybody down, so he doesn't want to make mistakes for his teammates, for this team, for this organization," Mularkey said. "If it's gray to him, he doesn't want to take the risk. I want him to be aggressive but smart. We definitely have the confidence in him."

Tennessee will have to play without guard Quinton Spain (knee), who figures to be out for at least the next two games after being injured in the second quarter Sunday. That could make it a bit easier for Jacksonville to neutralize DeMarco Murray, the NFL's third-leading rusher with 633 yards.

But the Jaguars have injury concerns of their own. Nose tackle Roy Miller is out for the year after tearing his right Achilles tendon against Oakland and will be replaced by backup Abry Jones.

And if Jacksonville can't up its standard of play Thursday night, it may have far greater worries than the loss of its nose guard.

--There's talk that if Bortles can't turn things around, the coaching staff could bench him for backup Chad Henne. That would be an admission that Bortles isn't the long-term answer. He hasn't helped his cause by tossing nine interceptions in the first six games, and needs to improve his completion percentage as well.