JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are moving back in the draft order, but that came with a very gratifying result — a season sweep of the Titans.
Jacksonville hung on for a 20-13 win over the rival Titans on a rainy, wet day at EverBank Stadium, grabbing an early lead and coming up big at the finish.
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Sure, the win cost the Jaguars a few draft spots, but it gave fans a reason to celebrate in the home finale. Jacksonville closes its regular season next Sunday at Indianapolis.
The Titans forced a Jaguars punt with 1 minute and 42 seconds left, then drove from their own 17 to the Jacksonville 26. Mason Rudolph had Tennessee in position for a score, but he overthrew Chig Okonkwo on what should have been an easy touchdown and followed that with five more incompletions. Safety Antonio Johnson swatted away the final pass in the end zone to secure the win.
“Found a way to win. Proud of the guys. So happy for them. Coaching staff, the way these guys hang together, they stick together, there is no quit,” said head coach Doug Pederson. “They keep fighting. I keep telling them, you never know when the play is coming your way. When it does, just make it.”
The defense came up huge at the finish, but it was a sound day from quarterback Mac Jones and receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington delivering the big plays. Jones threw touchdown passes to both of those players and beat the Titans for the second time this season.
For the beleaguered Jaguars (4-12), it’s a brief respite for what’s ahead. Jacksonville enters Week 18 with players and coaches facing uncertainty. The Jaguars are expected to consider major changes within the organization after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. A season sweep of the Titans (3-13) is a bit of a consolation prize. The win ensures Jacksonville won’t finish the season at the bottom of the AFC South, but it did help Tennessee from a draft perspective. The Titans are now in contention for the No. 1 overall draft pick. They started the day with the No. 4 pick, right behind the Jaguars.
“Look, whatever happens at the end of the season is going to happen,” Pederson said. “We’ve still got one game left. Before today, we had two games left. For us to finish the way we want to finish, whatever happens, regardless, we want to finish this thing the right way. We won today, and that’s a huge step. Now we move on to the next one.”
Early lead holds
Jacksonville built a 13-3 lead in the opening half, the best play a 2-yard strike from Jones to Washington. The throw was high and put in a spot where only Washington could get it. He went up for the grab, got his left foot down, and scraped the front half of his right foot in bounds before falling out.
Unlike his first start against Tennessee, Jones played much better throughout. He looked for Thomas far more often and threw it with far more confidence than he did in a 10-6 win over the Titans in Week 14. Two of his best completions of the game went to Thomas, including a 31-yard pass lob down the sideline right before half. Thomas made the catch with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in tight coverage that got Jacksonville into field goal range. Jones’ next strike to Thomas was a beauty, an 11-yard floater that he reeled in for his 10th touchdown of the season. It capped a drive that chewed up more than nine minutes and gave Jacksonville a 20-10 lead with 7:11 to play. Jones was 15 of 22 for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“Feels great. It’s a rivalry game, as we know, the Titans, so it was good to get that win, and try and do it again next week against another rivalry opponent,” Jones said. “So it’s a good opportunity. I thought the guys played well. Defense did a great job at the end.”
BTJ making Rookie of the Year case
Thomas, the No. 23 pick in the draft, has had the best rookie season by a Jacksonville receiver in the franchise’s 30-year history. The Jaguars have never had a player win the top rookie honors, and Thomas is probably a long shot to be the first.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is currently the betting favorite for the offensive honor. But Thomas is having a historical season for a rookie. He tied Randy Moss’ rookie record for most games with 60 or more yards and a touchdown. Moss had eight during his otherworldly rookie season in 1998. He’s one of just four rookies in NFL history to put up more than 1,100 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Odell Beckham Jr. (2014), Ja’Marr Chase (2021), and Moss are the others. Thomas had seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Defense has some bright spots
Devin Lloyd picked off a deflected pass, the first takeaway by Jacksonville since a Week 10 loss to Minnesota. Third-year edge Travon Walker had a sack of Rudolph in the third quarter and forced a fumble. Josh Hines-Allen added his eighth sack of the season in the third quarter. In a season where defensive lowlights have been far more common, those were a couple of positives for Jacksonville’s beleaguered defense. Rookie tackle Maason Smith added his third sack of the season with under three minutes to play. Safety Andrew Wingard’s blitz on third down on Tennessee’s final drive forced Rudolph to just fling it up to avoid a sack.
“Man, it felt good. We kind of finished like we finished the last game, so when we can obviously put the last couple of seconds on our back, man. It feels great. It feels great,” Hines-Allen said.
Lloyd’s interception led to points, with Jones hitting a leaping Washington on the back line of the end zone for a 10-0 lead. Rookie Cam Little hit a 48-yard field goal on Jacksonville’s opening drive and added a 44-yarder with 2 minutes and 2 seconds to play in the half for a 13-0 lead, one that it never gave back.
“It’s definitely emotional the way our season has gone. Obviously, we talked a lot about this, just the disappointment and the expectation not where it is, or should be,” Pederson said. “But any time you get a chance to win a game, especially against a good football team and division opponent, it’s always great. Locker room is excited. Probably a little bit of relief as well just to get another win. It’s part of what we keep talking about every day. We want to finish this thing the right way.”