The Jaguars hold on to their season win against their rival Titans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars move back in the draft order, but that brought with it a very pleasing result – a season win for the Titans.

Jacksonville cruised to a 20-13 win over the rival Titans on a rainy, wet day at EverBank Stadium, taking an early lead and coming up big at the finish.

Sure, the win cost the Jaguars a few draft spots, but it gave fans a reason to celebrate in the home finale. Jacksonville concludes its regular season next Sunday in Indianapolis.

The Titans forced a punt from the Jaguars with 1 minute, 42 seconds left and then drove from their own 17 to the Jacksonville 26. Mason Rudolph had Tennessee in position for a score, but he rushed Chig Okonkwo for what was supposed to be an easy touchdown and followed that with five more incompletions. Safety Antonio Johnson intercepted the final pass in the end zone and secured the win.

The defense was great at the end, but it was a good day with quarterback Mac Jones and receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington making the big plays. Jones threw touchdown passes to both players and defeated the Titans for the second time this season.

For the struggling Jaguars (4-12), it’s a brief respite for what lies ahead. Jacksonville enters Week 18 with uncertainty for players and coaches. The Jaguars are expected to consider major changes within the organization after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. A season win against the Titans (3-13) is something of a consolation prize. The win ensures that Jacksonville won’t finish the season in last place in the AFC South, but it did help Tennessee from a draft perspective. The Titans are now in the running for the No. 1 draft pick. They started the day ranked No. 4, right behind the Jaguars.

The early lead remains

Jacksonville built a 13-3 lead in the first half, the best play being a 2-yard shot from Jones to Washington. The throw was high and placed in a spot only Washington could reach. He went up to grab, brought his left foot down and scraped the front half of his right foot on jumps before falling out.

Unlike his first start against Tennessee, Jones played much better throughout. He looked for Thomas much more often and threw to him with much 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 lob pass down the stretch Sideline just before halftime. Thomas made the catch with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in tight coverage that put Jacksonville within field goal range. Jones’ next strike against Thomas was a showstopper, an 11-yard floater that he hauled in for his 10th touchdown of the season. It capped a drive that lasted more than nine minutes and gave Jacksonville a 20-10 lead with 7:11 left. Jones was 15 of 22 for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

BTJ is named the Rookie of the Year case

Thomas, the No. 23 pick in the draft, 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 award, and it’s probably a long shot for Thomas to be the first.

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is currently the betting favorite for the offensive honor. But Thomas is having a historic season for a rookie. With 60 or more yards and a touchdown, he tied Randy Moss’ rookie record for most games. Moss had eight during his supernatural rookie season in 1998. He is one of only four rookies in NFL history to have more than 1,100 receiving 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.

The defense has some bright spots

Devin Lloyd intercepted a deflected pass, Jacksonville’s first takeaway since a loss to Minnesota in Week 10. Third-year forward 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 deficiencies were far more common, these were a few positives for Jacksonville’s struggling defense. Rookie tackle Maason Smith added his third sack of the season with less than three minutes to play. Safety Andrew Wingard’s blitz on third down on Tennessee’s final drive forced Rudolph to simply throw the ball up to avoid a sack.

Lloyd’s interception led to points, with Jones hitting a diving Washington in the back of the end zone for a 10-0 lead. Rookie Cam Little hit a 48-yard field goal on Jacksonville’s first drive and added a 44-yarder with 2 minutes, 2 seconds left in the half to take a 13-0 lead that never existed gave up again.