Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. scores again as the Jaguars defeat the Titans 20-13 to win the rare series

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Whoever ends up coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars next season, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. will be the team’s most dynamic rebuild.

Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including his fifth in as many games for Thomasand the Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the rain on Sunday to win the season for the fourth time in 30 years.

Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, most of which went to Thomas. The first-round draft pick out of LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 left gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score. That puts him tied with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most rookies in NFL history.

“Brian just impresses every week,” said Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, whose future with the team remains uncertain. “You can’t say enough good things about Brian.”

Thomas also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit TD receptions in a single season, joining Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams.

“It’s definitely a great feeling to be able to do some of the things that I’ve done,” Thomas said. “I don’t even know all of them. But I’ve heard some of them, just a great performance.”

The Titans (3-13) improved their position for the 2025 NFL Draft – a potential chance to land a franchise quarterback – and secured the final spot in the AFC South. The Jaguars (4-12) secured third place in the division.

There was little else at stake in this Week 17 match.

Jacksonville looked like it was going to be a blowout, but Pederson’s team settled for field goals and built an early 13-0 lead. The Titans came back early in the second half with an 85-yard drive that ended with Mason Rudolph’s 8-yard TD pass to a wide-open Nick Vannett.

Tennessee kicked a field goal late to tie the seven-point game and got the ball back with 1:29 left. Rudolph drove the Titans to the Jacksonville 26, but safety Antonio Johnson intercepted his fourth down pass at the goal line, ending the game.

“He kept staring at the receiver,” said Johnson, who sat on the bench earlier this season. “When I saw him pull the pin, I just broke it off and just let the ball fall to the ground. … To seal it. “The game felt good.”

Rudolph completed 19 of 31 passes for 193 yards, with the touchdown and an interception in his second straight start in place of Will Levis. The Titans have lost five straight and seven of eight.

“I hope they’re not deaf,” coach Brian Callahan said. “I’m definitely not.”…It’s terrible. There is no joy in this process. That’s no fun. It’s terrible. I feel it every day when I go to work. I feel it every day when I stand here in front of you.

“None of this is pleasant, so I won’t go deaf and I hope no one will go deaf. And our job is to try to solve the problem. We will do everything we can to solve all the problems. “We have to get everything in order and add all the players we need to add to make sure we have a better football team in the future.”

Hines-Allen is closing in on the sack record

Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen is one step closer to setting the franchise sack record. Hines-Allen sacked Rudolph in the third quarter, giving him 53 career points and leaving him two points shy of Tony Brackens’ team mark.

Cheek sets reigning record

Boris Cheek became the NFL’s all-time leader in games officiated when he took the field for the Titans-Jaguars game. Cheek officiated his 461st game in 29 seasons, passing Walt Coleman for the top spot. Before retiring in 2018, Coleman officiated 460 games over 30 seasons.

Major injuries

Titans running back Tyjae Spears was evaluated for a concussion late in the third quarter. Spears, who wears a protective “cap” over his helmet to prevent head injuries, ran 20 times for 95 yards. Tennessee had to rely on third-string right tackle John Ojukwu after backup Jaelyn Duncan left in the first half with a shoulder injury. Duncan started in place of Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was benched and inactive against Jacksonville last week.

Jaguars right guard Brandon Scherff (shoulder) left in the second quarter but returned on the next series.

Next

The Titans finish the season next weekend against division champion Houston.

The Jaguars play in Indianapolis next weekend, capping another year of double-digit losses.

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