Jaguars get the job done in a cold-weather AFC South road game to keep next week’s stakes vs. the Colts in play
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Titans postgame recap talks AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter Demetrius Harvey shares his take on the team’s 25-3 victory over the Titans. Team takes lead in AFC South.
- The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 25-3, improving their record to 8-4.
- Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had an efficient, turnover-free game, completing 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards.
- Jacksonville’s defense held the Titans to just 67 rushing yards and forced multiple turnovers.
Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 25-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The Jaguars (8-4) return home on Dec. 7 to host the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) in an AFC South showdown at EverBank Stadium.
As safety Andrew Wingard said after the game, next Sunday will be “massive … massive.”
Offense: B
It was good enough to build an 18-3 halftime lead and while the Jaguars probably should have tried to run more in the second half to eat some time (they threw the ball six times on first down), there was never any real danger that the hapless Titans could pull off a miracle.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence did not have a turnover a week after he handed the Arizona Cardinals four gifts, and had an efficient day overall, completing 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards. He used eight receivers and the Jaguars made a big adjustment in the second half to move the pocket around, after Lawrence was sacked once and harassed several other times.
Tight end Brenton Strange had his first touchdown of the season and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (six catches, 90 yards, TD), continues to solidify the wide receiver room. The loss of Parker Washington (hip injury) could be crucial down the road.
The Jaguars ran for only 28 yards, a season low, but with the injuries on the offensive line before and during the game, that might have been understandable.
Defense: B
After Tony Pollard ran three times for 36 yards on the Titans’ opening drive that led to a field goal, the defense adjusted and got very tough and very nasty in a hurry, led by edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen with two sacks, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
On Tennessee’s next nine possessions, the Jaguars forced five punts, three failed fourth-down conversion attempts and the final fumble recovery by Rayuan Lane III (forced by Ventrell Miller). Four of the possessions were three-and-outs and another ended on a fourth-down turnover on downs in which the Titans ran four plays.
The Jaguars made Titans quarterback Cam Ward look very much like a rookie and the No. 1 rushing defense in the league will remain so, allowing 67 yards. After Pollard’s production on the first possession, the Jags allowed only 31 rushing yards on 11 carries (2.8 per attempt).
Special teams: C
The injuries to Washington and long snapper Ross Matiscik were certainly no one’s fault and all credit to defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton for executing three punt snaps and one on a field-goal attempt in the second quarter until Matsicik got back in the game, although none of them were works of art. Still, punter and holder Logan Cooke fielded the snaps, and nothing bad happened.
Matiscik returned in the second half, but Washington (hip injury) could not, and that’s not great news for the stretch run to the playoffs.
Cam Little nailed his ninth field goal attempt in a row after a late second-quarter drive.
However, there were nagging issues, such as five special-teams penalties, one on Little when he knocked a kickoff out of bounds after an unnecessary roughness penalty on Jeffrey Simons on Lawrence’s two-point conversion run. That enabled Little to kick off from the 50, but he tried to get too cute kicking to the corner and the ball went out of bounds at the 5.
Former Florida Gator Dike Chimere broke a punt return of 47 yards early in the fourth quarter, the longest this season against the Jaguars. When Lane made a great play on Dike on a punt return for a 4-yard loss, a holding penalty on B.J. Green nullified the play.
Intangibles: B
The Jaguars won a cold-weather AFC South road game and the defense rallied after the late pregame news that Arik Armstead wouldn’t play, already knowing they wouldn’t have Travon Walker.
The Jags returned to their penalty-plagued ways (13 for 98 yards), with key plays in all three phases wiped out because of flags. Against a better team, it might have made a difference in the game.
But the most important intangible is that the Jaguars took care of business and kept the stakes in next week’s AFC South showdown against the Indianapolis Colts in place and their own destiny in hand.
