O-Zone Late Night, Week 17: Jaguars 20, Titans 13

JACKSONVILLE – That was a good feeling, even if only for a day.

The Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-13 at EverBank Stadium on Sunday to secure a season victory over their AFC South rivals in the home finale of the 2024 regular season.

The loss does nothing to make an unforgettable season memorable. The Jaguars are 4-12 and Sunday’s win came over a 3-13 team that is one of the few teams in the NFL worse than the Jaguars. There’s still a lot of work to do in the offseason and owner Shad Khan still has important decisions to make after next Sunday’s regular season finale against the Colts in Indianapolis.

But on that rainy day in late December, the Jaguars had fun. They smiled afterwards. They remembered what it was like to win. The fans did that too, it was a really good feeling. If only for a day.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Brian Thomas could have a future in football.

You’re not wrong. At all. Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. remains by far the bright spot in a dismal Jaguars season. He is special and gets better every week. It’s been my experience that wide receivers don’t come close to reaching their full potential in their first season. At this point, I would be surprised if he wasn’t an elite All-Pro receiver soon.

Tom from Mean Streets of Nocatee

Thank God we only have to watch this abomination twice more. Beat Tennessee.

This was the much-hyped, often strange and rarely memorable first email of the game. Fans are not required to watch, but Jaguars fans had the opportunity to watch two more games in the 2024 regular season at the time of the email. At the time of publishing this O-Zone Late Night, that number has dropped to one.

Bradford from Orange Park, FL

OH! This is TEAL. I love it. Maybe that was part of the litany of problems. We “rocked”… don’t get me started.

They seem to think the Jaguars weren’t wearing teal at some point early this season. And this regardless of whether they influenced their game or not. Okay, I think.

Dear John, When the Titans scored on their first drive of the second half, I said, “Yeah, here we go again.”

Good for you, I guess…

I thought to myself, “If they get a touchdown here, it’s because two guys got there late and everyone seems confused about responsibility.” And boom, that’s what happened

A special player is someone who regularly makes the most plays and often makes plays above the Xs and Os. BTJ is the only special player on this roster. This is really good for BTJ. That’s not good for the franchise, especially when you’re entering the fifth year as the starting quarterback and have shown he’s fine, but nothing special.

Indeed, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t shown that he’s anything special yet. There’s no doubt about that, and I can’t recall anyone on the Jaguars saying otherwise. From that perspective, there are about four quarterbacks in the NFL who are special, and Lawrence isn’t one yet. He’s still on the rise. He still has a chance. Stay tuned.

James from Titusville, New Jersey

There will be math, but the formula is super simple. Win > Lose. Class dismissed.

When you look at the clutter and chatter that floods our sports landscape today – clutter and chatter created by endless talking heads and Twitter threads disguising “thoughts” as insights – this is the ultimate truth. Players and coaches play to win games. Fans watch games to see how their teams try to win. This usually trumps everything else.

Big Jags fan from Jacksonville

A much-needed victory for the Jags! Complementary football displayed by the offense, defense and special teams. Forget the bottom draft pick; Sweeping the Titans is sweet!

Winning is cool. Fans like it. They like it even at 4-12 and they especially like it when it comes to defeating a hated rival. Football was fun at Bank Sunday. Finally.

It’s always good to beat the Titans, but in the grand scheme of things a win hurts them even more. Winning three games against four isn’t a big difference. I’m glad the players are doing well and hope some of them make the team next year.

Many, many, many of these Jaguars players will be on the roster next season. NFL players and coaches don’t play to lose. The thoughts and feelings of fans, media and other observers do not change this.

Tony from Johns Creek, GA

Oh, the sweep is beautiful. Winning is good.

Sweeping is cool. Fans like it.