4 critical observations from the Jaguars decisive win vs. the Titans

You have probably heard that every win counts in the NFL, but you could make the case that some carry more weight than others. For instance, the Jacksonville Jaguars just faced the Tennessee Titans in a matchup that had huge ramifications in the race for the AFC South.

A win would helped the Jaguars keep up with the Indianapolis Colts, while a loss would've allowed the Houston Texans to catch up with them. Fortunately, they were up to the challenge.

Although the Titans got off to a strong start and got ahead on the scoreboard with a field goal to give them a three-point lead, things quickly went sideways, with Jacksonville going on to score 25 points.

With this in mind, here are four critical observations from the 25-3 win over the dreaded divisional foe.

The Jaguars struggled with penalties (again) vs. the Titans

The Jaguars committed an astonishing 13 penalties for 98. It didn't hurt them much because the Titans weren't able to capitalize on them. That said, the coaching staff will need to once again pay attention to fundamentals. After all, most of the issues that have plagued the team through the regular season are still lingering.

The last thing the Jaguars want is to lose to better teams because they couldn't keep mistakes under control.

Josh Hines-Allen has come through for the Jaguars and did it again vs. the Titans

The Jaguars struggled to get after the quarterback early in the season. However, they have managed to improve in that area in recent weeks despite the fact that Travon Walker has sat out the past two games. Josh Hines-Allen's play has been a huge reason.

Although the Kentucky Wilcast was racking up pressures at a high rate early in the season, he wasn't making enough game-changing plays. That's changed the past few weeks, though, with Hines-Allen logging five sacks the past four games, including one in each of the previous three games.

Against Tennessee, Hines-Allen logged seven total pressures and two sack. He'll need to keep playing like that if the Jaguars want to finish strong.

The Jaguars lost Parker Washington and Walker Little to injuries

Parker Washington has been a mainstay of the offense this season, so the last thing the Jags want is to see him miss time with an injury. He went down with a hip injury in the Titans game. Before leaving, he had hauled in a crucial 26-yard pass on the team's first touchdown drive. Liam Coen will surely have an update on the third-year receiver when he talks to the local media.

Aside from Washington, left tackle Walker Little left the game with a concussion. Cole Van Lanen stepped in his place. He'll enter protocol and won't be able to play until he clears it.

The Jaguars won a game they absolutely had to

The Jaguars have routinely played down to their level of competition. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals had them against the ropes, and only managed to beat both clubs in overtime. For that reason, the Jags had the potential to play a trap game against the Titans.

Surprisingly, Jacksonville came through and played well enough in all three phases that the outcome of the game wasn't in question once it got the lead (despite the mistakes). That said, the job isn't done. The Texans are still lurking around, and the Jaguars must keep winning games if they don't want them to catch up with them.