Jaguars end losing skid vs. Titans, beat AFC South at Tennessee

The Jaguars were riding a five-game losing streak against the Tennessee Titans but they put an end to it with a convincing 36-22 win in Week 14. Moreover, Jacksonville reached a couple of important team milestones along the way.

The Jags have racked up five wins victories with four games to go this season, which is the first time they’ve had as many since 2019. This is a step in the right direction when you take into account that they won a measly three games in 2021 and just one the year before. Moreover, today marked the first time they beat the Titans at Tennessee since 2013, which was nearly a decade ago!

Something that stands out about the win was that the Jags played complementary football. The offense put points on the scoreboard four times (two touchdowns, two field goals) in the first half and three of those came off turnovers. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell has been the subject of criticism this season but his unit showed out against the Titans. Besides limiting running back Derrick Henry to 21 yards in the second half, the defense forced three turnovers and logged four sacks.

The Jaguars offense played up to its potential in the win vs. the Titans

Trevor Lawrence’s status for the game was uncertain after suffering a toe injury against the Detroit Lions the previous week. Although he was listed as questionable and there was a chance he could sit out, he didn’t miss a beat and completed 71.4 percent of his passes for a career-high 368 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had a touchdown run in Week 14, showing that the injury wasn’t holding him back.

Tight end Evan Engram also had a career outing, hauling in 11 receptions for 162 yards with two touchdowns. His previous career high in yards came against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020, when he tallied 129. This was the first time the former Ole Miss Rebel logged over 100 yards with the Jags and also set the franchise record for most yards in a game by a tight end. Following the win, head coach Doug Pederson praised Engram.

“He’s always part of the game plan”, Pederson said of the tight end. “You just never know who’s going to have the hot hand at times. He had it there and played though and made some outstanding catches, and played well today”.

Another Jaguar that showed out was wide receiver Zay Jones. The former East Carolina Pirate bounced back from an underwhelming outing against the Lions, hauling in eight receptions for 77 yards with one touchdown grab against the Titans.

Against the Titans, Jacksonville proved they can rebound from a bad loss. Also, they showed they can win division games on enemy turf, something they have failed to do in recent years. Last but not least, the Jaguars managed to keep their playoff hopes alive for one more week. They’re trailing Tennessee by two games in the division but they’ll have four games to make the difference up. If they continue to play the way they did in Week 14, a ticket to the postseason might not be unreasonable.