Jaguars 36, Titans 22: 5 Observations as Jacksonville Keeps Slim Playoff Hopes Alive
Yes, the Jacksonville Jaguars just did that.
After eight years of losing in Nashville in every fashion possible, the Jaguars finally won in their own shop of horrors with a season-saving 36-22 victory over the Titans on Sunday.
But what did the win really mean, and what does it say about the Jaguars moving forward? We break it down below.
The Jaguars keep their slim playoff hopes alive, somehow
The Jacksonville Jaguars are not yet on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason. They are a few miles away from the outside. But they did take a massive step on Sunday, saving their season with a win that ensured they wouldn't be eliminated from the AFC South battle before the final four weeks of the season.
Per FiveThirtyEight's NFL Playoff projections, the Jaguars had just a 2% chance at making the playoffs entering Sunday. This would have dropped to 0.2% with a loss in Nashville, a loss that would have made it impossible for them to compete in the AFC South. With the win, though, they now have a 11% shot, putting them two games below the Titans with four weeks left.
With the Jaguars still set to play the Titans and Texans, and the Titans still having to play the Chargers and Cowboys, the Jaguars have made sure their playoff hopes are alive for at least one more week. Considering where the Jaguars were a week ago, this is no feat worth ignoring.
Credit to the Jaguars' mental fortitude following last week's embarrassment
Not many Jaguars teams of years past could have done what the Jaguars did today. The Jaguars' opponent today was their own mental focus and confidence just as much as it was the Titans, with last week's 40-14 loss to the Detroit Lions creating a sense of complete embarrassment. Past Jaguars teams have mailed it in on the season and simply waived the white flag. This Jaguars team could have done the same thing, too, but they instead entered Sunday with refreshed energy, putting last week behind them.
Then there is the fact the Jaguars showed great reserve and grit in today's game alone. After Derrick Henry had several dominant runs leading to a 14-7 Titans lead, few people would have been surprised if the Jaguars' defense just laid down. That is what they have done in the past against the Titans. But this time around, the defense kept its head down and worked, forcing four takeaways and smelling blood in the water for much of the second-half.
A lot of credit should go to the Jaguars' locker room for having their heads right this week, which is also a testament to Doug Pederson and his preparation of the squad throughout the week.
Tyson Campbell has become "the guy" on defense
There is no longer a question of if Tyson Campbell is the Jaguars' No. 1 cornerback. Campbell has been one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL this season and on Sunday looked like the best player on the entire Jaguars defense, forcing three critical pass breakups on downfield shots by the Titans. The Titans attempted to push the ball downfield against Campbell time and time again, and Campbell made them look silly each time.
Now, the Titans lacked any semblance of receiver talent on the field on Sunday, but Campbell's coverage was still pristine. And for the Jaguars to finally have one defensive back who they can ensure will play up to his talent level no matter the opponent is a rare luxury they haven't had since even before Jalen Ramsey.
Could this be the start of a new era in the AFC South?
The odds are still in the Titans' favor to exit 2022 as the AFC South champions, but the Jaguars just officially put them on notice for 2023 and beyond. The Jaguars saw young players such as Lawrence, Campbell and Travon Walker make big play after big play, while the Titans looked like a shell of their past selves. It may be too late for the Jaguars to make noise in the AFC South this season, but this game truly looked like a changing-of-the-guard-type game, one that will be talked about in a few years as one of the games that changed the complexion of the AFC South.
The Jaguars haven't had any success against their AFC South rivals in recent years other than when they play the Colts at home. The hope is that this will change next year, and with today's dominant performance serving as the spark they needed. The Titans' arrow is pointing down due to their roster construction and against quarterback and running back. And on Sunday, the Jaguars showed their arrow is pointing up in a big, big way.
Jaguars' pass-rush returned exactly when they needed it to
The Jaguars' lack of pass-rush in recent weeks has been one of the team's biggest sticking points. The entire structure of their defense demands pressure against the quarterback to ensure the aggressive scheme in the secondary can hold up play after play, but the Jaguars had gone long stretches without impacting thew quarterback before Sunday.
That changed vs. the Titans, though, with the Jaguars recording four sacks to raise their season total to 23. This included a pivotal strip-sack by Travon Walker and Josh Allen's first sack in eight games, a sack to set up fourth-and-long on the Titans' final offensive drive. In a week where the Jaguars needed their pass-rush to return, it did exactly that.
