The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans in a game-winning showdown in the AFC South on Saturday night, 20-16, and clinched their playoff ticket for the first time since 2017. The Jaguars are the first team since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to reach the playoffs after selecting No. 1 overall in the draft and is the first team since the 2008 Miami Dolphins to win their division all season after posting the worst record in the league.
This game came in the fourth quarter, as Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins stripped Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs from behind, and Josh Allen picked up the loose ball and ran it back 37 yards for the winning score with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was part of a 13-3 second-half run that ultimately won Jacksonville the division crown.
Trevor Lawrence completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown, while Christian Kirk was his leading receiver with 99 yards and a touchdown on six catches. The running game was virtually non-existent, as Travis Etienne rushed for 17 yards on seven carries.
Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his second career start. Derrick Henry was Tennessee’s main weapon on offense again, as he rushed for 109 yards on 30 carries. In the end, the Tennessee offense simply couldn’t do enough.
Let’s take a look at what happened in Jacksonville on Saturday night.
Why the Jaguars won
Week 18 hasn’t been a perfect outing for the Jaguars, there’s no doubt about that. But Jacksonville got the W, and that’s all that matters. Lawrence and the offense flickered at times, but the game-winning touchdown came from the defense, which played out of their minds in the second half.
In the past two quarters, Jacksonville’s pass rush has upped the ante against Tennessee’s offensive line and kept Dobbs to just 65 passing yards and Henry to just 38 rushing yards.
The Titans put up a 10-play, 45-yard drive on their first possession of the third quarter, but their remaining drives went like this: Interception, three-and-out, three-and-out, fumble that got been returned for a touchdown then turnover on downs. Ultimately, that defense gutted a win in what was a very close game, and that’s a good sign for the Jaguars as they prepare for the playoffs.
Why the Titans lost
Titans fans have unfortunately already seen this movie. Tennessee worked to earn a halftime lead, but the offense then went flat in the second half. The Titans have only scored three points overall over the past two quarters.
Going into this game, Tennessee had a -95 point differential in the second half of this season, which was the worst in the NFL. This stat has proven to be an accurate representation of what this offense is all about. Heading into this game, the Titans were averaging just 5.7 points per game in the second half. It’s the fewest of any team since the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. The Titans end the 2022 season without scoring 28 points in a single game. It turns out that not scoring a lot of points hurts your team, as only five teams since the merger have been able to reach the playoffs without scoring 28 or more points in a game.
While it’s easy to criticize the Titans offense, they were starting a practice squad quarterback who had only been with the team for a few weeks and was playing behind an offensive line that had three of their best injured reserve players. Adversity was too much to overcome this season, as Tennessee ends the 2022 campaign with a seven-game losing streak.
Turn/Flow of the game
Down three points as time ticked away in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars defense had to come to a halt. They did more than that, as defensive back Rayshawn Jenkins came flying around the left side and hit Dobbs from behind, dropping the ball at the very last moment.
Josh Allen picked up the ball and ran it 37 yards the other way for the game-winning touchdown.
Another stiff arm from Derrick Henry
Henry’s stiff arms became a legend, and he recorded another hard knockdown in the first half against eventual hero Jenkins. The Jaguars safety was ready to aggressively kick the ball, but ended up being knocked to the ground.
And after
The Jaguars will watch Sunday’s action and await the eventual No. 5 seed. Either the Los Angeles Chargers or the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Jacksonville for the wild card round. As for the Titans, they return to Nashville, and they will turn their attention to 2023.
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