After Titans' crushing loss to Chargers, Jaguars are alive and well in the AFC South race
The Jacksonville Jaguars weren't a factor in the AFC South race a month ago. Then the Tennessee Titans let them back in it.
The past few weeks have been quite good to the Jaguars. Over the past four weeks they have gained three games on the Titans, and also got a very important head-to-head win. The Titans' once comfortable lead in the division is down to one game after they lost 17-14 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers allowed the Titans to tie it late but a great throw from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams for 35 yards in the final seconds set up the game-winning field goal.
The Jaguars are 6-8 after an upset overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Titans' fourth straight loss pushes them back to 7-7.
The Titans will need to be two games clear of the Jaguars to clinch the division before a Week 18 rematch in Jacksonville. If the Jaguars are no more than a game behind Tennessee going into the regular-season finale, a win over the Titans would give them the division based on a season sweep.
At this point, it might be more realistic to wonder if the Jaguars pass the Titans by the season finale.
The Titans have fallen apart in recent weeks. The offense has looked ugly at times. The schedule got a lot tougher, but a team that wants to win a division title shouldn't drop four in a row to anyone.
The Titans couldn't get their offense going against the Chargers. Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury early on and although he returned, Tennessee rarely moved the ball after that. The Chargers didn't do much either, but they broke through with an Austin Ekeler touchdown in the fourth quarter to take a 14-7 lead. The Titans rallied for a late touchdown but then immediately allowed Herbert to answer with a drive and a field goal that won the game.
The win was important for the Chargers. Among the other AFC wild-card contenders, the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New England Patriots lost in Week 15. The Chargers were finishing up their win when the Las Vegas Raiders scored on one of the weirdest endings in NFL history, as the Patriots lateraled the ball in a tie game to Raiders edge rusher Chandler Jones, who broke a tackle and ran it in for a touchdown.
It was a big few minutes for the Chargers. They're doing well in the AFC playoff race. So are the Jaguars.
