Jaguars/Titans Week 18 Clash For AFC South Scheduled For Saturday Night

The Jaguars will be playing on prime-time in their AFC South Championship bout against the Titans, with TIAA Bank Field expected to be filled to the brim on Saturday night.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have all eyes on them this weekend, earning a Saturday night prime-time slot for their AFC South championship bout against the Tennessee Titans. 

The Jaguars will play in their third prime-time game this season thanks to Week 18 coming down to a win-and-in scenario for the AFC South title, with the game set for an 8:15 ET kickoff (ESPN/ABC).

“You know, it should be electric," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after Sunday's 31-3 over the Houston Texans. 

"We're playing for the AFC South, and we need all our fans that can get there to get there," It's going to be a great atmosphere. Our guys will feed off of that energy, and it will be fun. It will be a fun one to coach and play in.”

Sitting at 8-8 after a four-game winning streak over the last month, the Jaguars have climbed back from a 2-6 record during the first half of the season after a five-game losing streak almost derailed their season. 

Now, the Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the league and are set to face the Titans with the playoffs on the line in front of a home crowd.

“You look at the situation we put ourselves in. That's kind of honestly the feeling every week for us is just -- because if we didn't win -- what, today was four in a row," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said on Sunday. "If we didn't win these games, we wouldn't be in a position to do this next week. For us that pressure or whatever you want to call it has been there, and we've responded great to it. And now that this moment, we talked a lot about a few weeks ago, this season is going to come down to Week 18. 

"We knew we had to take care of business these prior weeks, but we had a feeling we're going to put ourselves in position to where Week 18 is going to decide our playoff berth and where we head after that. We've been expecting this, and we're ready for it. And I think, like I said, you know it's a big game because, you're right, it is for our season and to earn the right to keep playing, but it's still a game. It's still played the same way. It's still the same length of time. All that stuff, it's the same game. You can't freak out and make it bigger than it is. You have to stick to what you know and your process.”

While the Jaguars will be at home, they will be playing on a short week at the same time the Titans have an extended rest due to playing on Thursday in Week 17.

“I would love to play Sunday, obviously, to have these next couple of days, but we'll play when they ask us or tell us to play, and our guys will be ready to go. If I could pick, I would pick Sunday," Pederson said.