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'We put it in the air': Jaguars respond to last week's embarrassment with win over Titans
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- 'We put it in the air': Jaguars respond to last week's embarrassment with win over Titans
During the week leading up to Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans , Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson showed the team a video of cutups surrounding the past games the Jaguars have played against the Titans. The video included interviews and matchups, something to get the team extra motivated to play.
The Jaguars had lost to the Titans in nine of their last 10 games before Sunday's 36-22 victory. They hadn't beaten the Titans in Nashville in nine straight years.
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With 14:04 remaining in the game, Titans fans were making their way to the exits. There was a smattering of boos ringing out Nissan Stadium on multiple occasions, including on the Titans' first drive of the third quarter, which resulted in -7 yards and a punt for Tennesee. This one was different.
"It was cool to flip that switch today, and we'll see them again," Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said after putting on a career performance that included 11 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Engram matched his career high in catches while getting over his career-high in receiving yards. The previous high was 129 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020.
"We've seen the talent that we have in that room have days like that. And today was just, God allowed it to be 17's day and it was a lot of fun."
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram (17) runs with the ball as Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard (31) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
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The win comes on the heels of the team's most embarrassing loss of the season, a 40-14 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 13. The Jaguars didn't just beat the Titans, they were able to stifle them into almost nothing, particularly during the second half of the contest. They allowed just 134 yards in the second half, including just two rushing yards to star running back Derrick Henry .
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The defense followed up a performance in which it allowed eight-straight scoring drives to the Lions with four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception), three punts and one drive that ended in a turnover on downs through 12 drives. That's eight drives that led to Jacksonville getting the ball back in some way, shape or form.
At the end of the first half, Jaguars linebacker Shaquille Quarterman forced a fumble with a big hit on Derrick Henry. The Jaguars recovered down 14-13 and ultimately scored a touchdown to end the first half, going up 20-14. They never surrendered the lead again.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) is caught by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn.
'Starts in practice': Jaguars flip the switch against Titans
Last week, Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun alluded to the fact that their full week of preparation and ability to bring the energy up would start at the first lift on Monday. That energy carried over into Jacksonville's victory on Sunday, something that Pederson said was evident early on through the week.
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"I think the energy level, sort of a sense of urgency, the way we practice, guys were dialed in during the week," Pederson said after the game Sunday.
It's clear the switch was flipped on for Jacksonville and off for the Titans, who have now lost two straight in embarrassing fashion. This loss demoralized the Titans, which was evidenced by Titans linebacker Dylan Cole 's tweet after the game.
"Never in my life did I think I would suck at football. I've been humbly proven wrong a few times this year," Cole said on Twitter . "I deserve all the criticism for what I put on the field. No one is more mad at me than me. Nothing I can do now, but learn and improve."
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Cole was stiff-armed by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the way into the end zone for the second-year QB's one-yard rushing TD that put the Jaguars up 27-14.
After the game, Lawrence admitted that he should have handed the ball off on the read-option play that he scored on. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne would have easily walked into the end zone behind left guard Tyler Shatley . But, it was just that kind of game for Jacksonville — it didn't matter, "good, great teams do that," Lawrence said after the game.
"Honestly, I probably should have handed it, but, like I had like 53 linebacker on the edge, he stepped down one or two steps and I really felt like I could out-run him to the pylon and that's just what I did," he said. "Luckily, got the stiff arm but he recovered a little better than I thought he would so it was close to being a TFL."
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Lawrence posted a career game Sunday. He compared 30 of 42 passes for 368 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing TD. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Lawrence is the youngest player in NFL history to record 350 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing score in a single game at 23 years and 66 days.
Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk said the team knew it was going to be more of a pass-catch game due to the nature of the Titans' front seven.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
"I thought he did a great job just taking advantage of that stuff and sticking to the game plan," Kirk said of Lawrence.
In the end, there's not much more Lawrence can do as far as answering questions about how important of a player he is to the team and franchise. Other than win a Super Bowl, Pederson joked in the postgame presser.
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"I'll tell you this. He's been able to handle everything," said Pederson. "And now he's battling the injury this week and put the team sort of on his back like he did again today just shows the type of player and person that he is and how tough he is. He's the right leader for us."
Ultimately, the Jaguars' offense posted 428 total net yards. Along with Engram's 162 receiving yards, Zay Jones posted a bounce-back game, catching eight passes for 77 yards and a toe-tapping touchdown.
'Felt great': Jaguars defense returns to form
It wasn't just the offense that had great energy Sunday. In fact, the Jaguars' defense set the tone early on in the contest and continued throughout the remainder of the game.
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In the first quarter of action, Jaguars rookie outside linebacker Travon Walker strip-sacked Titans QB Ryan Tannehill . The ball was recovered by Jaguars DL Dawuane Smoot . The turnover would be the first of four for Jacksonville on Sunday.
"Definitely felt great," Walker said in the locker room after the game. "Just come out and be able to do something that we've been harping on for the past couple of weeks.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) fumbles as he is sacked by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. The Jaguars recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
"Obviously we haven't been getting home these past couple of games, but coming into this game, I basically did the same thing I did every other week, but put a little more preparation into it, a little extra and it paid off."
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Walker said the team stepped up to the challenge. Giving the offense the ball in a good field position was something the team harped on this week. Having juice and getting after it is how they can be the defense observers have seen flashes from earlier in the season, Walker said.
Walker realized that his pressing to make plays ends up in the wrong direction for the young pass rusher. "So, I just focus and try to make 100 percent of the play that I'm supposed to."
Walker injured his right ankle during the contest but said it's good and they'll see where he is during the week.
Today's game wasn't a mistake, at least not according to Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen.
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"I know we building something special, man," Allen said in the postgame locker room. "We talked about this, we put in the air. This is one of the things that we had to do to get to what we need to be."
The Jaguars are set to return home to TIAA Bank Field in Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys. They'll then take a trip to New York to take on the New York Jets just four days later on Thursday Night Football.
The team is now just two games back of the division title, and Sunday's win over Tennessee was the start of what needed to happen for them to even get a chance at securing it.
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 defeat Titans 36-22 in Nashville for first time in nine years
