Jags cap off turnaround
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With a scoop and score that will go down in franchise lore, Josh Allen may have put an end to the chaos and disappointment that has defined the Jaguars for the better part of the last decade.
Allen’s 37-yard fumble return with 2:51 remaining helped the Jaguars beat the rival Titans 20-16 on Saturday night and secure their first AFC South championship since 2017.
“I’m speechless,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said before crediting coach Doug Pederson, general manager Trent Baalke and players. “I’ve always had confidence that we would be getting to where we needed to go.”
Khan easily could have singled out Allen and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who forced Josh Dobbs’ fumble. Allen picked up the loose ball on a perfect bounce and ran, untouched, the other way for a lead that held up.
Dobbs fumbled again on the ensuing possession, and the Jaguars (9-8) started to celebrate their most significant regular-season victory in history.
“This was one of those games where our defense had to win it for us,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Us guys on offense, we’re a little frustrated because we left a lot out there. But in these games, just win. Our defense picked us up today. They played great.”
The Jaguars earned the No. 4 seed in the conference playoffs and will host the Chargers in the wildcard round next weekend.
It’s the 18th time in the last 20 seasons that at least one NFL team won its division after finishing last or tied for last the previous year.
The Jaguars closed the regular season with its fifth consecutive victory and became the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a five-game losing streak and a fivegame winning streak in the same season.
“We just kept believing,” Lawrence said. “Nobody ever lost faith. Everybody believed in one another. We never started pointing the finger. We lost five games straight and we just got tighter.”
The Titans (7-10) lost their final seven games, a skid that had just about everyone writing them off before Saturday’s finale.
“Nobody wants to finish how we did,” Titans running back Derrick Henry said. “That’s never the plan, never the goal. Like I said, stuff happens, adversity happens.
“We wanted to win the division and have a great record, yeah, but it didn’t happen this year. All you can do is go back to work and be thankful for the journey and everybody in their efforts and look forward.”
The Titans rested several starters last week and essentially created a 10-day break to get healthy. They returned to their bruising brand of football and looked like they would pull an improbable turnaround — until Dobbs’ turnover changed the game.
“We just got on a (crappy) streak and couldn’t get off it,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “Couldn’t make the plays when we needed to.
“We couldn’t be consistent enough when we needed to and it showed up again.”