Jaguars beat Titans, win AFC South: 3 observations from Week 18

1. The 2022 Jaguars are built to win playoff games

The Jaguars were a mixed bag in 2022 but that’s meant as a complement. Even though they sat on a five-game losing skid at the midpoint of the season, they also showed they could muster wins in different ways. They managed to overcome slow starts or make game-changing plays at the right time. Similarly, they proved they could keep up with some of the best offenses in the league and prevail.

Interestingly enough, two of Jacksonville’s most important games were their losses against the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions in Weeks 8 and 12, respectively. Trevor Lawrence acknowledged that the loss to the Broncos flipped a switch for him. Similarly, the Jags had a five-game winning streak, their longest since 2005, following their loss to Detroit. But the Jags bounced back from both matchups when they could have easily thrown in the towel.

On the other hand, the Jags beat the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Houston Texans by wide margins but they also pulled off a few close wins. The one against the Cowboys comes to mind, and so does the one against the Titans in the finale. At the end of the day, the Jaguars found a way to win, and that’s what matters.

After securing a playoff berth, the Jaguars need to wait for the outcome of Sunday’s games to know who their opponent in the Wild Card round will be. It will either be the Chargers or the Baltimore Ravens, two teams they proved they can beat.