Jaguars are the AFC South champions: 4 critical observations from win vs. Titans

Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars had already qualified for the postseason, they couldn't afford to take it easy when they faced the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. After all, the AFC South title was still up for grabs. Moreover, a win would ensure that the Jags would get one of the top playoff seeds in the conference, so it wasn't particularly surprising to see them show up ready to play.

Although the Jaguars got off to a slow start and even let the Titans score first, they quickly took control and didn't take their foot off the gas pedal until the end of the game. Now, Jacksonville is 13-4 and ready to face whatever challenge it faces in the playoffs.

With this in mind, here are four observations from the Jags' 41-7 win over Tennessee in the finale.

The Jaguars proved vs. the Titans that they're ready for the playoffs

The Jaguars were a 12.5-point favorite for the game, so you could argue that Tennessee wasn't the best barometer to find out just how good they are. That said, Jacksonville did what any good team would do against lesser competition and took care of business.

The offense looked sharp, and the defense had no trouble neutralizing a struggling Titans offense. Moreover, Trevor Lawrence had another great showing, going 22-of-30 for 255 yards with three touchdowns.

With the outcome pretty much decided early in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville pulled several starters. Through the game, Liam Coen's squad proved that it's firing on all cylinders ahead of the playoffs.

Cam Little continues to be great for the Jaguars

Early in the season, Cam Little dealt with a rough stretch. But despite the calls to bring in competition (guilty as charged), the Jaguars' confidence in the second-year kicker never wavered. He's gone one to reward their trust in a big way.

Little hasn't missed a kick or an extra point since Week 9. On top of that, he's become the first player in league history to nail two field goals from 65 yards out. The latest one came against the Titans when they made an attempt that fell short just before halftime.

The kick was not good, and left Little with enough time and distance to try an attempt. He delivered.

Antonio Johnson has become a staple of the Jaguars defense

After an unremarkable 2024, Antonio Johnson has become a mainstay of the Jacksonville defense. If there were any doubts about how valuable he is, he showed his worth with a jaw-dropping Pick 6 against the Titans.

Johnson is now tied with linebacker Devin Lloyd for the most interceptions on the team. What's surprising about his surge is that he began the season behind Andrew Wingard and Eric Murray on the depth chart but has turned out to be the best of the bunch.

The win delivered a strong end to Year 1 of the Liam Coen era

The Jaguars hired Liam Coen as their head coach because they wanted to steer the ship in the right direction after finishing 4-13 in 2024. However, they probably didn't imagine that he would oversee a turnaround in just his season at the helm. That's precisely what he's done.

Jacksonville's 13 wins are the most since 1999, when they racked up 14. The offense scored 30 or more points a team record seven times this season, and the defense is one of the best in the league. Couple that with the fact that the Jags are the division champions, and Coen has vastly exceeded expectations.

Of course, the Jaguars will want to make a deep playoff push, but even if they're knocked out in the Wild Card round, there's no doubt that they hit it out of the ballpark when they hired Coen as their head coach.