Head coach Mike Vrabel saw enough from Joshua Dobbs to entrust him with their playoff hopes in Week 18.
Dobbs will make a second consecutive start Saturday in the AFC South title-deciding rematch between Jacksonville and Tennessee, Vrabel announced Monday.
"I think he is ready for the opportunity and is looking forward to it," Vrabel said of Dobbs.
Following Thursday night's 27-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Vrabel was asked whether he'd continue with the veteran Dobbs or turn back to rookie Malik Willis for Week 18. Vrabel's explanation boiled down to one key question: Which player best improves their odds of victory?
"In the end, it's the same at every (position): Who gives you the best chance to win, to win one game," Vrabel said Friday, via the team's official site. "That's where we're at. That's the only thing that matters, is winning one game, getting healthy, getting recovered and then winning one game, and finding out who is going to do that."
Dobbs made his first start as a Titan in the loss to the Cowboys. By no means was he perfect. Dobbs completed 20 of 39 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, his presence and decisiveness with the football proved the Titans' staff at least trusted him to make plays with his arm.
The same cannot be said for Willis, who hasn't yet broken 25 pass attempts in any of his three career starts. With Willis in the lineup, Tennessee became a run-first team that shifted a majority of the offensive load to the shoulders of Derrick Henry and hoped for the best.
The approach produced one win in three starts for Willis. The Titans are hoping a blend of run and pass -- which saw Tennessee gain 317 yards of offense without Henry, who is still making his way back from a hip injury -- with Dobbs at the controls gives them a better chance of taking down the upstart Jaguars.
