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Jaguars battle through 'roller coaster of emotion' to win AFC South title over Titans
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- Jaguars battle through 'roller coaster of emotion' to win AFC South title over Titans
The smell of a freshly lit cigar filled the Jaguars' locker room.
Coaches, players, staff and family members alike could be seen smiling and laughing, clearly excited, perhaps a bit relieved. The Jaguars (9-8) are moving on to the postseason for the first time since 2017 and they're doing it on the heels of one of the most memorable regular seasons in franchise history.
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This one meant something more as the 70,050 Jaguars fans that once found themselves screaming from their seats were doing so from the concourses of TIAA Bank Field.
"Duval is back," Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor said of the crowd.
AFC. South. Champions.
More game coverage:
Takeaways: Jaguars win AFC South after defensive scoop-and-score, beat Titans 20-16. Here are our takeaways
Trevor Tracker 2022: How did Trevor Lawrence's second season compare to 2021? Here's how.
Specialty slices: In a grinding game, every play mattered -- including those generated by Jags special teams
Those three words are etched in stone after the Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans (7-10) 20-16 in a defensive slugfest that was truly a microcosm of the team's entire season.
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"It's like I told the guys a second ago, that this game tonight kind of symbolizes our season. There were some struggles. There were some highs, some lows, but in the end we had the victory," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the team's win Saturday night.
The team has exorcised many demons this year, but perhaps none bigger than the one that stuck around after last year's debacle. That took time to get rid of, and having a season like this gives the team something to look forward to in their not-so-distant future.
"That's really the roller coaster of emotion that a football season can bring," said Pederson. "But, you know, the guys that have been here, you can see it in their faces just how excited and proud and — it's not relief, but it's enthusiasm, and it means everything to them. They take it to heart. It's something that we can continue to build upon."
Jaguars battle back, finish strong
Just one or two plays made a difference and Jacksonville's scoop-and-score finish to close out their regular season provided the team and the city of Jacksonville their most memorable night of a young 2023.
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With just 3:01 remaining in the contest and the Jaguars down 16-13, it appeared Jacksonville's night would end in heartbreak.
Instead, the team did what it has done for much of the year in big games — they found a way. Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins blasted off the edge of the Tennessee offensive front, getting to Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs just before he released the football to force a fumble.
Outside linebacker Josh Allen scooped the ball up, racing into the end zone to give Jacksonville a 20-16 lead late, never looking back.
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) nearly forces a fumble on Tennessee Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football regular season matchup AFC South division title game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Jaguars held off the Tennessee Titans 20-16. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
"I think defense and special teams won this football game for us, and that's okay. It's okay. We found a way. That was a great play. We needed it. We needed to find a way," said Pederson.
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After starting the year 3-7 heading into their Week 11 bye, the Jaguars ended their season by winning six of their last seven games of the season to finish with a winning record. Jacksonville finishes two games ahead of Tennessee after being down four games for the division title at one point in the year.
They're just the fifth team in NFL history to win a division title a year after posting the worst record in the NFL. Jacksonville finished with a 3-14 record last season, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft as a result. Now, they'll be picking at best 22nd overall.
Perhaps Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard said it best after the game. The team finds a way because they have all of the confidence in the world in their head coach and the direction he's taking them.
"There's no panic in him," said Wingard. "That's why we're dangerous. He does what he does and all we have to do is go play."
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Jacksonville's offense wasn't the hero of this one, as Pederson stated. The team netted just 222 yards, their second-lowest yardage total of the season and only victory this year netting under 300 yards of total offense. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 20-of-32 passes for 212 yards and a TD.
Jacksonville ran the ball for just 19 yards — the fewest rushing total by the team in a victory in franchise history. In a season like this, of course it was.
It wasn't a pretty win for Jacksonville, but as one Jaguars coach said in the hallways approaching the team's locker room, "who cares?"
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Teair Tart (93) makes a sack on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during early fourth quarter action for a 9 yard loss. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Tennessee Titans to decide the AFC South championship at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL, Saturday, January 7, 2023. The Jaguars went into the half trailing 7 to 13 but came back to win with a final score of 20 to 16. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars finished their season with a one-score win coming in the final minutes of the game. If that sounds familiar, it's because that same situation has happened three other times over the past seven games of the season.
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It is the team's second game that was won, essentially, off of a touchdown by the defense. After multiple wins that have been in the offenses' hands this season, Jacksonville's defense gave has gotten hot just in the nick of time.
"Learning how we should be able to play — winning football — that's important because you can't go into the playoffs hoping and praying, you gotta go in there confident with what you bring in now," Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun said after the game.
The Jaguars' defense gave up 312 total net yards, including 147 net rushing yards but also netted two turnovers and four sacks.
After giving up 10 points early, Jacksonville's defense held the Titans to just six points — two field goals. They've allowed just one touchdown in three weeks.
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That's playoff football.
'Duval is back': Jaguars fans pack the Bank in record-setting fashion
The Jaguars announced during the contest that the tickets distributed for the game was 70,050 tickets, the most for any Jaguars regular-season home game since the tarps came off in 2018.
The difference between Saturday's sell-out crowd and one that happened against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago was that the majority of the crowd was Jaguars fans — the overwhelming majority, and they had an impact.
Jaguars fans hold their signs of support in the stands during the closing minutes of Saturday night's victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Tennessee Titans to decide the AFC South championship at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL, Saturday, January 7, 2023. The Jaguars went into the half trailing 7 to 13 but came back to win with a final score of 20 to 16. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
"Man, huge crowd. It's something when it's a sold-out crowd, but it means something more when it's a sold-out crowd of your people.," Allen said.
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"You know, they did it one time, so now we expect it to happen. We expect them to come out every week. We expect them to be loud. When we put our hands in the air and tell them, 'Let's go,' we expect them to be louder and go crazy. That's the expectation they have for us. That's the expectation we have for them, so let's get this going."
Next up: Wild Card weekend
The Jaguars will return to TIAA Bank Field next week to play the first round of the playoffs. As the fourth seed, Jacksonville will play the highest-ranked Wild Card team — the fifth seed in the playoff standings.
As of now, Jacksonville is set to play against either the Los Angeles Chargers or the Baltimore Ravens . Jacksonville will play the Chargers in the event of a Ravens loss to the Bengals on Sunday or a Chargers victory over the Denver Broncos .
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Jacksonville has already faced off against both teams, winning the contests. They defeated the Chargers in Los Angeles 38-10 in Week 3, while they upset the Ravens at home 28-27 in Week 12.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars steal one over Titans via 20-16 win, are crowned AFC South champs
