This division race is getting very interesting. The Jacksonville Jaguars have pulled off the upset of the weekend as they beat their AFC South foes, the Tennessee Titans, 36-22, opening up the title race as the season comes to a close.
This division title race should have been over. The Titans were only a few weeks ago the one of the frontrunners to securing the top spot in the AFC, let alone the AFC South. How is this result, which now leaves the Jaguars just two games behind the Titans with four games to go, even possible?
Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that Titans have imploded on defense these past two weeks. Despite boasting of players like Bud Dupree (6 tackles, 3 TFL), Andrew Adams (10 tackles 1 PD), Kevin Byard (3 tackles, 2 PD), Teair Tart (1 tackle), Jeffrey Simmons (0 tackles) and a defensive head coach in Mike Vrabel, the Titans have now allowed a combined 71 points in two games.
Sure, giving up 35 points to the 12-1 Eagles might be okay if you’re having a really bad day, but allowing 36 to the Jacksonville Jaguars is a fireable offense no matter the situation. Obviously, I’m not actually saying that the Titans should fire Mike Vrabel, but this decline has to be rectified immediately if he wants to keep his job considering how loose the Titans owners is with firing her staff.
Only a few days ago, Amy Adams Strunk fired GM Jon Robinson after the Titans humiliating loss to AJ Brown’s (the former Titan himself) Philadelphia Eagles in that 35-10 blowout, even though the Titans were still 7-5 on the year and in cruise control over the division.
Yet, that cruise control has just turned into a runaway train as the Jaguars win has not only blown open the AFC South division title race, but also revealed some horrific secrets about this Titans team.
Most notably, they are capable of just flat out giving up on games.
Not a single Titans players played up to even half of their potential on that field today. Ryan Tannehill (25/38, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) gave the ball away twice, Derrick Henry (17 CAR, 121 yards, 1 TD, 2 FUM) had two costly and uncharacteristic fumbles, not a single Titans receiver had over 70 receiving yards, and the defense gave up 36 points to a Jags team that was in the running for the 1st overall pick a few weeks ago.
This team has some massive holes (namely, everything on offense apart from Henry) that can be easily exploited given the right pressure and gameplan from opposing teams. I was a big fan of this Titans team a few weeks ago when they nearly upset the KC Chiefs with a backup, rookie QB, but these past five days have dramatically shifted my perspective on the Titans’ prospects.
If they aren’t careful these next four games against the Texans, Jaguars, Cowboys, and Chargers, the Titans could be looking at a season outside of the playoffs for the second time in the Mike Vrabel era.
As for the Jaguars, this was a season and culture-defining victory.
Doug Pederson has really worked a miracle getting this franchise off the floor after the Urban Meyer disaster as he now has the Jaguars sitting at 5-7 (two more wins than Meyer had in his entire Florida tenure) and playing some good football.
Trevor Lawrence (30/42, 368 yards, 3 TDs) is looking like the generational talent he was during his Clemson days as he torched the Titans defense, the receiving core of Zay Jones (8 REC, 77 yards, 1 TD), Christian Kirk (5 REC, 45 yards), and Evan Engram (11 REC, 162 yards, 2 TDs) has really stepped up to give Lawrence help in his NFL development, and the defense has turned out some game-winning studs, such as Josh Allen (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits) and Foyesade Oluokun (14 tackles).
This team will probably not make the playoffs (though, if they beat the Titans again and Tennessee losses a couple of more games, then maybe then will), but this team should be rearing to go next season with a few more additions to the defense and the running game.
The future is definitely bright in Jacksonville (5-7) under Doug Pederson, and a lot cloudier a couple hundred miles in Tennessee (7-6).
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