Jaguars Vs Titans review
The Jaguars defeated the Titans 25-3 in a dominant division win that moves them into first place in the AFC South at 8-4. They controlled the game early on and capitalized on Titans misques, leading to an easy victory.
The Jaguars offense would take the field first to open the game. A promising drive that quickly got past midfield was quickly stifled when Lawrence took a 10-yard sack, eventually leading to a punt. The Titans would have their best drive of the game, going 70 yards in 11 plays, but would eventually be forced to kick a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
This time, the Jaguars would take control offensively, going 84 yards in 7 plays with Jakobi Meyers catching a 3-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead late in the first. On the ensuing kickoff, LeQuint Allen would force a fumble, recovering at the Titans 35-yard line. In just three plays they would find themselves in the end zone once again with a 21-yard touchdown to Brenton Strange. After a Titans penalty on the extra point, Liam Coen would elect to go for two, which would be successful, giving the Jaguars a 15-3 lead.
Both teams would exchange punts over the next 6 drives, with neither team putting together a drive longer than 4 plays. With 2:32 left in the first half, the Titans began the drive at the Jaguars 42 with a chance at easy points. After 6 plays, they faced a 4th and 2 at the 21, which they failed to convert, keeping the score at 15-3.
With 20 seconds and three timeouts at their own 21, the Jaguars attempted to get a field goal before halftime. In just three plays they got down to the Titans 42 with 1 second left in the half. The decision to kick a field goal would normally be the easy decision but with long snapper Ross Mastiscik dealing with a back injury, it made the decision a much bigger risk. Liam Coen decided to go for a hail mary, failing to convert before pass rusher Arden Key committed an unnecessary roughness penalty to keep the drive alive. Now at the Titans 28-yard line, Coen elected to kick a 45-yard field goal, which Cam Little made to go up 18-3 at halftime.
Tennessee would begin the 2nd half on offense and continue their struggles, going three-and-out once again. The Jaguars would respond with a 15-play, 66-yard drive that was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Bhayshul Tuten to go ahead 25-3. The defense would force another punt, but the Jaguars would punt it right back. The Titans get the ball at the Jaguars 38-yard line, but the drive would go nowhere with another turnover on downs.
After a three-and-out from the Jaguars offense, the Titans would once again get the ball inside Jaguars territory before everything fell apart, failing to convert on a 4th and 18. Another Jaguars three-and-out would spot the Titans the ball at their own 5-yard line. After 7 plays, they would fumble the ball away on their final drive of the game. The Jaguars would kneel it out and win a dominant 25-3 win, putting them atop the AFC South.
The good
Trevor Lawrence had his best game of the year, going 16/27 for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. After a four-turnover game the previous week, protecting the ball against a bad Titans team was of the utmost importance. A huge reason for this performance was Jakobi Meyers, catching 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Meyers had the longest reception by a Jaguars wide receiver all season with his 50-yard reception that eventually led to his 3-yard touchdown on the same drive.
Brenton Strange also played a role in the passing attack with 3 receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Since returning from injury, Strange has caught 8 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and has added an extra element to the offense.
After the Titans gained 70 yards on the opening drive, they had just 118 the rest of the game. The defense got pressure on Cam Ward all game and allowed for very little separation from Titans receivers. Without Arik Armstead or Travon Walker, the pass rush still managed to get home with 3 sacks and 7 pressures. Josh Hines-Allen was the one behind most of the pass rush with 2 sacks and 5 pressures, both being season highs.
The bad
As dominant of a victory as it was for the Jaguars, it could have been even more dominant had they not gotten in their own way with 13 penalties to the tune of 98 yards. The consistent penalties on the offensive side of the ball cost them opportunities to put the game away even earlier. The same can be said about third-down conversions. The offense controlled the game on early downs but went just 3-13 on third downs, consistently giving the Titans chances to get back into the game.
The running game was surprisingly non-existent, with Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten combining for just 45 yards on 20 carries. Coming into the game, the Titans were one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, allowing the 6th most yards per attempt and 8th most yards, but the Jaguars could not capitalize, consistently being put in obvious passing situations.
Conclusion
The Jaguars did what they were supposed to against a vastly inferior team: dominate them from start to finish. They got consistent pressure and forced multiple turnovers for the offense to capitalize on them. Trevor Lawrence had a big day, largely due to Jakobi Meyers continuing to shine in a Jaguars uniform.
This win puts the Jaguars at 8-4 and in first place in the AFC South. With business taken care of, the Jaguars biggest game of the season has now arrived. They will face off at home against the 8-4 Indianapolis Colts in hopes of keeping their place at the top of the AFC South.